Eco-activist rescues tortoises that have become unnecessary in the city and returns them to nature
Spring is the time of renewal of wildlife. Even representatives of the fauna such as tortoises, which are rather slow at other times of the year, noticeably increase their activity with the onset of the first warm days.
There are three species of these reptiles in the nature of Turkmenistan. Pond turtles, Caspian and Central Asian tortoises can be found in different regions. The latter has always symbolized wisdom and longevity among the peoples of Central Asia.
According to one of the most popular mythological stories about how this animal appeared, Allah turned a dishonest merchant, who, having borrowed flour in a large bowl, decided to give it back in a small dish, into a tortoise. The deceived creditor cursed the fraud, and by the will from above he turned into a clumsy creature doomed to slowly crawl, and the ill-fated bowls firmly stuck to its body from both sides, becoming the upper and lower parts of the shell.
The archaeological finds in Turkmenistan also include images of a tortoise. For example, a ceramic drinking vessel was found in the 5th-7th century layers at the Araphan settlement in Deinau district in 1989, which lip was made in the form of a tortoise’s head. Its cap that was not found was probably shaped as the shell of this animal.
The Turkmens also have a riddle about a tortoise: a stone on top, a stone below. There is only a head on four legs.
Almost every child dreams of keeping a tortoise. But children very often forget to take care of their pets. It is not easy for a tortoise to survive in a big city.
Eco-activist Tatyana Lanina has been returning these animals to their natural habitats in spring and autumn for 11 years. She told the ORIENT correspondent what these sweeties love the most.
Over the past couple of years, the girl, who now has half a dozen tortoises at home, has returned 19 animals to nature. Tatiana has chosen its own name for each. Her oldest friend was Semyon, which stayed in her flat for six years. This is almost half of their life tor tortoises, which live on average 10-12 years. One of the tortoises is sick, and the girl gets it on a drip and gives it injections.
The main thing Tatiana asks people not to forget of is that tortoises are living beings, that we are connected, and that nature and all living things must be respected. This is not a toy for children. Do not take them away from nature.
The last example of the careless handling of tortoises was the following case for the girl. Someone put a little tortoise on a high fence for fun, and left...
Tatyana specifies dandelion leaves as a favorite food for her colony of tortoises. Her pets, which have a very developed sense of smell, perfectly feel the changes in the weather, are active when they are healthy, and do not walk either when it is very hot or when it is cold.
