Ambitious Turtle Seeks Adventure Beyond Bernal Heights Reservoir

Ambitious Turtle Seeks Adventure Beyond Bernal Heights ReservoirPhoto: Darryl/Bernalwood
Todd Lappin
Published on September 14, 2017

Why did the turtle cross the road?

Tipster Darryl shared this video of a very determined turtle that has been spotted several times perambulating near the College Hill Reservoir by Holly Park.

According to Darryl, "this little guy escaped from his Holly Park refuge on Tuesday. Turns out this is the third time he’s flown the coop, or the pond, or whatever."

Darryl also captured the turtle’s bold flight to freedom in this insanely dramatic video:

College Hill Reservoir holds 13.5 million gallons of water and was built in 1870; it's unclear how many turtles it contains, but the restive resident in this particular incident appears to be a red-eared slider, a popular pet species.

The western pond turtles that are native to Northern California have been listed as endangered since 1996, partially because so many red-eared sliders have been released into the wild.

The red-eared slider is one of the world's 100 most-invasive species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Come across an interesting aspect of the natural kingdom in San Francisco? Email us at [email protected], or text your tips and a photo to 415-200-3233. If we use your information in a story, we'll give you credit.