West Japan Railway Company and Suma Aqualife Park in Kobe have jointly developed a system of special rail crossings for turtles. They keep animals from getting caught between railway switches, The Japan Times reported.
The turtles often cross the tracks on their routes and fall into the space between them. It leads to their death and to the disruption of railway operations. 13 cases caused by turtles were noted in the prefectures of Kyoto and Nara between 2012 and 2014.
To solve the problem five U-shaped concrete ditches were installed at two railway stations in Nara prefecture. Some of them were set in April, another in November. The ditches are located under the rails, near the railway switches. Turtles can move safely on them.
Those animals that turned onto their back shell and cannot continue to move are sent to the aquarium by the employees. According to West Japan Railway Company, during November about ten turtles have been saved due to the special ditches.
West Japan Railway Company is a part of Japan Railways. The company operates trains in the west part of Honshu Island. About 53 million passengers used its trains.
