Turtle in High Park: Turkey’s first picnic

I’ve been meaning to take Turkey to High Park for a while and I’m so happy that we finally got to do it.

She was the star at a school picnic and she made a young kid’s day.

She also met friends on the TTC, and she tried to make friends with a squirrel (unsuccessfully).

School Picnic

Turkey was invited to her first ever picnic.

Turtles and picnics don’t commonly mix but as a turtle owner, I made sure to take proper precautions by bringing sanitizer and an encyclopedia of knowledge.

There was also a rule from the organizers that turtles came after food that I wholeheartedly agree with – especially for kids. Salmonella is something that we don’t risk!

Once we set up our turtle-run, she took some time patrolling the area and spent her time meeting everyone!

Turkey was the star of the show – and she knows it. She recognizes cameras and adores posing for her closeups. She brings a unique energy to people that allows their curiosity to peak or let their inner child shine. It sounds corny, but she helps people.

Everyone has a story about a turtle and not too many places they can tell them. You never know what people are going to tell you.

The rules to pet a turtle

Wherever we go, it’s not an uncommon thing to hear, “Is that a turtle??“

The next question I usually hear is, “can I pet it?“

Can I pet the turtle?

Sure, but there are rules to petting someone else’s pet turtle:

We need your parent’s permission if under 18
Explain what salmonella is to the parents
Have you ever pet a turtle before? Let me show you how.
Check in with the turtle to see if they’re up for it
Let the petting commence!
Sanitize your hands!

Sometimes, Turley doesn’t want to be touched.

She communicates this to me by doing a small chomp when I run my finger under her chin. Knowing your turtle’s preferred communication methods are essential when introducing them to people.

Turkey is generally calm and loves the attention, but she was so overwhelmed by High Park that she wanted to take the time to explore before soaking in the attention from everyone in the surrounding area.

Made a kid’s day

During our time in High Park, there were day camps for kids coming and going. It wasn’t uncommon for kids to stop and say hi to Turkey.

There was one little boy who ran over to Turkey, completely ignored his camp counsellor, and started rapid fire asking questions about turtles. His counsellor was calling after him and it wasn’t until I said asked that he listen to his counsellor that he snapped out of it.

Kid: “Can I pet the turtle??”

Me: “Sorry, I need your parents’ permission”

Counsellor: “I spoke with your Dad today and he said no turtles, sorry!” 😉

Kid: Visibly disappointed, slumped shoulders, shuffles off with counsellor

After the picnic was over and people were standing around getting to know each other, would you believe it, this kid and the counsellor pop up. He ended up getting permission and he was thrilled.

I’ve seen kids get excited for things, but this kid was vibrating with excitement and the way he reacted to holding Turkey is something I will never forget. Turkey made his day if not month.

Turkey absolutely loved the experience of High Park. Suffice to say that we’re going to return for more photos and picnics in the future. I’d love to get a photo of her with the cherry blossoms – so magical!

The Turtle Lady