West Japan Railway in conjunction with an aquarium in Kōbe have developed a system to prevent turtles from causing disruption to train services.

Train-track turtles saved with concrete ditch.

Train-track turtles saved with concrete ditch. Image by Pete O’Shea / CC BY 2.0

It was found that when turtles try to cross the tracks, they become stuck in the space between them, which forces them to walk between the rails. This eventually leads them to become trapped at the railway switches, where they are crushed when the tracks move.  There were 13 turtle-related disruptions to services reported in Kyoto and Nara between 2002 and 2014. To help solve the problem, small concrete ditches have been built under the tracks close to switch points, from where railway staff rescue any stranded turtles. Read more: japantimes.co.jp