Tortoise, turtle, I love them both, each in their own way.

Sunflower the tortoise is a real mensch, and a patron of the arts to boot.
He'd love it if you'd check out my project at  http://walletportrait.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-nose.html

Anyhow, I've always had good times with turtles/tortoises, I've gone out on a limb for them before, and it's touching that a tortoise would do the same for me.

As any faithful Thoughts and feelings follower knows, I once saved a turtle from Michael Jackson.
http://adamernestfarrington.blogspot.com/2010/10/set-my-blanket-free.html

Another time I was rowing my boat in city park, and freed a turtle who had swallowed a fish hook, and was tangled in a dead tree.

And there was the time I rowed up on a turtle who had wedged himself between 2 cypress knees.
His head was in the water, and his ass was in the air, he was obviously dead, as he'd been there so long he had grown green slime on the submerged part of his shell.

It was really sad.

I don't know why I even bothered to poke him with my paddle...
He sucked all his parts up into his shell!
So I saved him also.

I learned my lesson, and vowed never to give up on a turtle, without taking his pulse first.

One day I rowed all the way from lake Ponchartrain, up the canal, all the way to the pumping station, and discovered another stranded turtle on top of some pipes over the water.

I poked him, and he fell into my boat, broke open, I almost had to bail out, the stench was so bad.
I almost threw up, Then after that, I almost threw up. I flipped him overboard with my oar.
There was rancid turtle matter on the floor of the boat. I almost threw up.
I had to row to the shore and scrub out with water and weeds. Grosssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!

Damn right I'd do it again!
Anything for the turtles.