Meet Lacey
When many New Englanders picture a turtle, the colorful, active painted turtle (also commonly called a “sun turtle” because of their frequent basking) is first to mind. And for good reason – once seen, these beautiful animals are not easily forgotten. Many lifelong turtle lovers can trace their fascination back to their first sighting of a painted turtle.
Little Lacey might not be able to speak, but one look at her tells a very powerful story. We know Lacey was captured as a juvenile, and was kept in very poor conditions for at least 10 years because her metabolic bone disease shows it had an impact at some key stages of her growth. Some time after that, she made her way into more than one pair of caring hands, but her conditions required serious expertise to make good care possible, and Lacey and everyone at TRL are thankful those hands ultimately brought her here.
Despite our hopes and lots of practice, Lacey would not survive in the wild. Lacey produces eggs, but because of her misshapen skeleton, she can not lay them without our help. This would kill her in the wild.
Sadness is not what Lacey wants humans to feel for her. She finds joy in the things she can do – basking, swimming and exploring, savoring her favorite foods, and especially educating people on why it’s important to keep wildlife wild. No person, not even our dedicated experts at Turtle Rescue League, can take care of a wild animal the way mother nature can.
Lacey and everyone at TRL would like to thank the following turtle heroes for their ongoing support!
Susan Linker
Lindsay Farrell in honor of Little Dude
Owen Pepin
Annie Matias
Marie Kilcullen
The Locke Chiu Family
Amanda Windsor
The Turtles of Square Pond – Acton, ME
Jiayang and Jason
Jim & Alison Ferguson
Pariseau/Moxey lovers of all life
David Perry
Linda Hull