Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Turtle Man

Through the muddy farm ponds of Kentucky wades a man with the spirit of Robin Hood and the aspirations of the Crocodile Hunter known as the Turtle Man. He calls himself "Kentucky's best kept secret" and "the poorest famous guy around" because word is spreading about his entertaining hobby. His father taught him how to locate snapping turtles and catch them by the tail in blinding muddy waters at the age of 7, and he's been obsessed with the activity ever since. These sometimes vicious turtles can be more than a nuisance to farmers whose cattle and horses enjoy wading in cool waters on a hot summer day, so the Turtle Man helps save their livestock from bite wounds by relocating the perpetrators. “I don’t kill it,” says The Turtle Man. “I only catch it. Don’t never torture nothing. That’s my name of the game. That’s how you stay into it. Keep people liking you.” Not surprisingly, he is developing a fan base, which now includes myself. I hope we will see him and hear his Indian rebel yell on national television soon. For now, I recommend you check out this video and buy a snapper-licious logo shirt (if you can find one) to show that you appreciate and support the Turtle Man’s quest.

http://videos.kansascity.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=2594376