snake-necked turtle...

...named for obvious reasons. 

This little dude, in care at Kanyana Wildlife Centre, made a guest appearance this afternoon at an after school session for high school students interested in the hidden stories lurking in the bush.
Apart from the wonderful caring of injured wildlife, the education 'arm' runs after school groups  and late this afternoon June and I were there with a few photos and lots of fascinating facts.

J, approaching her 80th birthday, is such an engaging and informative communicator and it is so hands on  with jars of scats and casts, feathers, bones and hand lenses a-plenty. 
Fueled by afternoon tea, the young high school students are wonderfully inquisitive and, even better, not reluctant to touch 'stuff'...these the zoologists, botanists and environmentalists of the future...yeah!

Anyway back to this little dude.
The turtle (turtles have webbed feet and live in and around water whereas tortoises are land bound and only enter water to drink) had been handed in to a local vet with shell damage.
Now Kanyana is caring for him/her and being a juvenile has 'imprinted' with the carers (despite their best efforts as the aim is to return critters to the wild). The new home  will be in a 'domestic' pond as he/she would struggle back in the wild.

Kanyana is a special place with special carers who volunteer their time and a wonderful resource for the next generation who learn from folk who really do know their stuff!