Operation "Myrtle"

Operation "Myrtle" came about from the escape of Myrtle (the original turtle that Cynthia caught for David Hayes). To remedy this, Cynthia commissioned Richard to catch a replacement turtle in time for the July 4th pool party. Richard was not only eager but he was also a good sport and embraced his commission cheerfully.

Hunting for pond turtles is not so straight forward; you can always catch a glimpse of the turtles who poke their knobbly heads above the pond's surface, but they react quickly when threatened and will retreat swiftly out of sight.

Here's Richard sporting a pair of hip waders as he gets an early start on his search for Myrtle's replacement.

Sean shot this video of Richard wading in the cat tails in search of turtles.

Finally...after days of combing the pond in a canoe while wearing waders and clutching a net...SUCCESS!David Hayes has selected "Shelly" as the name for his new turtle. Shelly has since been removed from his bucket and placed in a roomy aquarium that has lots of rocks and plenty of water. We believe Shelly is a male turtle, given the remarkable spectrum of colors on his head, claws, and plastron (underside).