Freshwater turtles face high mortality crossing roads during nesting season, with targeted mitigation measures significantly reducing population impacts.
Road mortality of nesting turtles causes direct welfare suffering for individual animals — turtles struck by vehicles die slowly from traumatic injuries, and many are found still alive with severe damage. At the population level, road mortality of adult females, who represent decades of reproductive potential, is disproportionately damaging. The welfare of individual turtles is directly addressed by safe road crossing infrastructure and nest protection, making these relatively modest investments in turtle infrastructure high-welfare interventions.