6/3/2006: Tortoise as healer

[Undertoad]

A bunch of Cambodians believe that this tortoise is good luck. Not only good luck, they believe it has healing power.



From the story, "The tortoise is believed to be a guard of Buddha. Local faiths which believe in the healing powers of animals are fairly common in Cambodia."





If they dust the amphibian just right and pray real hard, it will fix them. That's what they believe.

It's more likely to be the incredible power of placebo that cures her, if anything.

[Trilby]

I do not know what is wrong with her, but I could recommend some tetracycline for her face.

[xoxoxoBruce]

From the link;

Worshippers at the Prasat Raingsey pagoda in Kandal province pray in front of it, wash injuries with water it has bathed in, and even drink its bathing water to cure illnesses.

As much as I complain about my "Health Care Provider", they haven't made me drink turtle bath......yet.

[limey]

That's not a tortoise, it's a terrapin.
(Tortoise - land dwelling reptile in a shell; terrapin - fresh-water dwelling reptile in a shell; turtle - sea-water dwelling reptile in a shell).
Sorry, my dad was/is a zoologist ...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Dictionary.com

tor·toise
n.


a. Any of various terrestrial turtles, especially one of the family Testudinidae, characteristically having thick clublike hind limbs and a high, rounded carapace.
b. Chiefly British A terrestrial or freshwater chelonian.

Wikipedia

In British English it is normal to describe these reptiles as turtles, terrapins, or tortoises, depending on whether they live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. Thus the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, is considered a turtle; the red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans, a terrapin; and the eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, a tortoise.

In American English it is common to call them turtles regardless of habitat, although tortoise is sometimes used as a more precise term for the land-dwelling species. Ocean-going species are sea turtles. Terrapin is reserved for the diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin, though even that species is often simply referred to as a turtle. Incidentally, the word terrapin itself comes from the Native American (Algonquian) name of this animal [1].

Speakers of Australian English tend to use turtle for both marine and freshwater species and tortoise for the terrestrial species.

The word chelonian is increasingly popular among veterinarians, scientists, and conservationists working with these animals. It is based on the Greek word χελώνα( /çeˈlona/, chelone), meaning tortoise, and is used, for example, by the Chelonian Research Foundation.

Why is it they always want to confuse the issue when they rely on donations or funding?

[Beestie]

Cool. Today, my son and I were walking along the railroad tracks and he noticed a turtle next to the tracks that was clearly out of his element. There is no water nearby so I'm not sure what he was doing there and was pretty sure he would not have survived very long there.

We picked him up and took him home and put him next to a large pond in our backyard. He scurried towards the water and crawled in and just stayed there for a minute. Then he poked his head out, looked at us for a second or two then scurried off towards the underbrush.

[capnhowdy]

turtles living in pond = lots of fish eaten

[Elspode]

Looks like a red-eared slider. I have a friend who has one, and it is remarkably similar to the one pictured. Come to think of it, my friend is also remarkably healthy. I'll have to ask her what she's been drinking lately.

[zippyt]

We picked him up and took him home and put him next to a large pond in our backyard. He scurried towards the water and crawled in and just stayed there for a minute. Then he poked his head out, looked at us for a second or two then scurried off towards the underbrush.


He had places to be , don't ya see !!!

[limey]

Originally Posted by zippyt

We picked him up and took him home and put him next to a large pond in our backyard. He scurried towards the water and crawled in and just stayed there for a minute. Then he poked his head out, looked at us for a second or two then scurried off towards the underbrush.


He had places to be , don't ya see !!!

Zippy, you always make me smile!

[zippyt]

We lived about 50 yards from a lake recently and our garden was the perfect distance for the terrapins to lay their eggs. After digging-up one batch I looked-up the timing and we learned to check out the hatching of the babies and help them to the lake (they had to cross the open space at a dead-end road). It was a very special time each year, I miss it.