The New York Turtle and Tortoise Society

“I was devastated to learn of the untimely, recent passing of Dr. Paul Raiti.... He was more than a brilliant reptile veterinarian who saved the lives of my turtles on several occasions; I also regarded him as a friend.

“A versatile vet who also treated a wide variety of dogs and cats of all ages in his practice, he was unusually humane and compassionate, comforting his clients if a beloved elderly pet had to be put to sleep because of progressive organ failure.

“His hospital’s waiting room was festooned with photos of the many pets he had treated over the years, many inscribed to him by their owners. He would proudly point out to me the photo of my Snapping Turtle every time I visited.

“I remember that Dr. Raiti once encountered a gravid Snapping Turtle on a local highway that had been killed by being run over by a car on her way to lay her eggs. Stopping his car to retrieve the dead turtle, Dr. Raiti took her back to the animal hospital where he carefully removed and incubated her eggs until they hatched. He then head-started them by raising them in captivity for a few months so they would become larger and less vulnerable to predators, then released them into a capacious private pond on a farm. This course of action led to an article and a photo of Dr. Raiti in a local newspaper that he displayed on a bulletin board in his hospital’s waiting room.”