# Encounters with wildlife while driving this weekend
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encounters-with-wildlife-while-driving-this-weekend/1008315
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [October 1, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encounters-with-wildlife-while-driving-this-weekend/1008315 "2024-10-01T04:43:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encounters-with-wildlife-while-driving-this-weekend/1008315/1 "2024-10-01T04:43:04Z")
I’m happy to say none of the following resulted in any fatalities.
I had four encounters with animals in the road while I was out driving this weekend.
In reverse order, I was driving home from a nearby town tonight and I saw a cat sitting in the road. It was sitting in the left land and I was driving in the right so no problem.
The squirrel I encountered this afternoon while driving to that town was more of a problem. He seemed panicked and every time I swerved one way to avoid him, he reversed direction and ran back into my path. Fortunately I was driving slowly and nobody was behind me so I was able to come to a complete stop and just wait until he finally chose a direction and ran off the road.
The two dogs I encountered Sunday were less co-operative. They had apparently decided the road was part of their territory and were out in the middle of it, barking at me to back off. I was not going to turn around but every time I tried to steer around them, they ran out in front of my car and just barked louder. I tried honking my horn at them but that didn’t chase them away. I was finally able to steer far enough to the side of the road to get by them.
The saddest encounter was the duck I saw Saturday. She was just sitting in the middle of the expressway, letting high speed traffic go by on each side of her. I feel she must have decided to lay an egg in a pothole and now she wouldn’t leave it. She was okay when I saw her but I do not foresee a happy outcome to that one.
Mundane? Pointless? Miscellaneous? Personal? Check, check, check, and check.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2024, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encounters-with-wildlife-while-driving-this-weekend/1008315/2 "2024-10-01T06:28:21Z")
I try to help the turtles, I really do, but you just want to smack the ones that — after I’ve picked them up and set them on the side of the road — TURN TAIL AND HEAD BACK ACROSS THE STREET!
Sorry, sometimes Nature be stoopid.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2024, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encounters-with-wildlife-while-driving-this-weekend/1008315/3 "2024-10-01T06:51:14Z")
I’m not sure cats and dogs count as wildlife.
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encounters-with-wildlife-while-driving-this-weekend/1008315/4 "2024-10-01T20:39:07Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#):
>
> I try to help the turtles, I really do, but you just want to smack the ones that — after I’ve picked them up and set them on the side of the road — TURN TAIL AND HEAD BACK ACROSS THE STREET!
Note for the turtle-curious: if you want to help that turtle across the road, when you pick it up, make sure you are face-to-face, because there is about to be a gusher of piss out the other end.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/encounters-with-wildlife-while-driving-this-weekend/1008315/5 "2024-10-01T22:44:35Z")
Excellent advice, but beware of turtle face getting too close to precious parts of your anatomy.