‘No good deed goes unpunished’: Woman’s kindly attempt to rescue a turtle ends badly for both her and the turtle

The pet distribution system sometimes works in mysterious ways, but when a new pet calls, there’s always someone there to answer. In an instance captured by TikTok user @cowboydynamite, that someone was a friend of the content creator, who’s attempt at conservation went sideways almost immediately. The kindhearted animal lover came across a stray turtle somewhere it definitely shouldn’t be, and they immediately jumped into action.

Turtles make perfectly good pets to the right kind of owners, but they also require extensive care and attention that not everyone can provide. It seems @cowboydynamite and his friend are fully aware of their limitations, but they’re also blessedly unwilling to let a meandering tortoise test his speed against a car, rather than the more approachable hare.

So this sweet, caring soul scooped up our rogue turtle and carefully walked him off the road and toward a nice overgrown area, from where he can hopefully navigate his way home. Unfortunately, before she can make it, @cowboydynamite’s friend takes a tumble, tripping hard into the grass and taking the turtle with her. The poor little guy lands directly on his head as he strikes the ground, ending up on his back next to the giggling good samaritan.

He’s doing just fine — turtles are hardy little reptiles, after all — and @cowboydynamite confirmed via numerous comments that he made it out great. The pair of heartfelt humans delivered him safely to some nearby water, where he hopefully cruised off to find less clumsy companions.

Little does he know, as he relaxes in some mid-city pond, but that little turtle is officially TikTok famous. He racked up worthless internet points in the wake of his small screen debut, and even more jokes, as people cracked wise about the “body slam” that could have ended him for good. “Pile driver on Donatello is diabolical,” one commenter joked, as another aptly noted that @cowboydynamite and his friend “needed that turtle to save you.”

Donnie and his siblings may not be currently available — their typical stomping ground has enough problems to keep them plenty busy — but that tiny effort from @cowboydynamite and his friend actually means a lot. They’re heroes in their own right for working to keep even one turtle alive, as the species as a whole faces mounting struggles and the threat of extinction.

More than half of all turtle and tortoise species on Earth are facing threat of extinction, as climate change, loss of habitat, and the insidious pet trade threaten their future more every year. Nearly everything that puts the future of turtles at risk is at least somewhat changeable by humans, but only if we’re willing to make sacrifices. We’re already in deep when it comes to climate change, but careful alterations on country-wide scales can make a major difference. If we want a future with turtles in it, we’ve got no choice but to make changes, and that includes both the combatting of climate change, and the need to surrender land we’ve taken from these languorous beasties.

All so we can have more moments like the one immortalized on @cowboydynamite’s TikTok page. Turtles are a treasure, and one we’d all like to see continue, but it will take work to make that future happen. Not just on the big scale, by slowing down industrialization and pushing back on climate change, but also on the small scale. By rescuing a single lost turtle from traffic and rushing it to some nearby water — just maybe avoid any knocks to the noggin along the way.