Snapping turtles cross the Divide

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 5/21/21

Snapping turtles have found their way into west-central Montana, west of the Continental Divide, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported this week. While native east of the Divide, they can cause significant harm to native species when west of the Divide. They likely end up in waterways when pets are illegally released into the wild. In 2018, FWP received a report of a snapping turtle in a backwater at Milltown State Park just east of Missoula,” the Daily Inter Lake reported. “In 2019, FWP responded to a reported snapping turtle in the Rattlesnake Creek area just north of Missoula but was not able to locate it.” If you see a snapping turtle, FWP says to please contact their nongame wildlife biologist for west-central Montana, Torrey Ritter, at 406-381-2339 or email torrey.ritter@mt.gov as soon as possible.