This Is What Japan Is Doing To Save The Turtles From Passing Trains

December 1, 2015

Japan is already one of the safest countries in the world for humans, and now it's about to get a lot safer for turtles too.

turtle tunnel Japan

The Suma Aqualife Park in Kobe attracts thousands of visitors by train each year. It's also only a short distance from the ocean, which results in a significant amount of turtle traffic across the tracks from May through September when turtles (and tourists) are most active.

The West Japan Railway Company teamed up with Suma Aqualife Park to find a turtle-saving solution: passageways under the tracks that allow the creatures to cross without being turned into turtle soup by a passing train.

turtle tunnel Japan

The turtle pathways were installed at two stations in Nara Prefecture in April and November, and since then, at least 10 of the slow-paced critters have been saved from instant death.