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A safety enclosure has been set up to protect snapping turtle eggs that were laid in the vicinity of the bike path near Maison-Valois Park in Vaudreuil-Dorion.

Citizens saw the turtle laying eggs this morning.

The enclosure was installed by city's Public Works Department and Environment Division to protect the eggs from raccoons in particular.

The fence will be in place until the end of October as most eggs hatch between late August and early October.

The city has informed the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Carapace project and the Atlas des amphibiens du Québec of the nest's presence. Citizens are advised not to approach the protection zone unnecessarily.

Although snapping turtles have few natural predators due to their size, their numbers have declined because of the loss of their wetland habitat, according to the Nature Conservancy Canada website.