A “dangerous” turtle with a jaw robust sufficient to chew via bone has been present in Cumbria.
Alligator snapping turtles are native to rivers and swamps in Florida, and are recognisable because of their armour-like shells, which give them a pre-historic, dinosaur-like look.
After quite a few sightings of the freshwater reptile, it was retrieved from beside Urswick Tarn by native parish councillor Denise Chamberlain – who put the animal in a procuring basket and took it to a vet.
“It was starting to look quite sorry for itself,” she advised The Westmorland Gazette. “I rang various agencies who were unhelpful. Everyone thought it was a terrapin – it’s not.”
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Ms Chamberlain claimed the turtle was dumped by an unique pet proprietor who was “no longer able to look after it”.
She urged any homeowners in related positions to contact businesses such because the RSPCA somewhat than dumping animals and hailed the employees at Wild Side Vets in Barrow as “heroes” for coping with the turtle.
Alligator snapping turtles are an invasive species which may “easily” chew via bone and “have been known” to sever human fingers, in keeping with the Britannica encyclopaedia.
The turtles are hunters who usually feed on fish, frogs, small mammals and even different turtles. They can develop to 100cm lengthy and weigh as much as 90kg.
Source: information.sky.com”