There was nothing “fluffy” about this creature caught in a small English lake.
An invasive alligator snapping turtle, a creature native to Florida and known for its vicious bite, was discovered in the county of Cumbria in the northwest of the United Kingdom, where a local official caught it with a shopping basket, the BBC reported.
The creature was discovered by a dog walker.
Parish Councilor Denise Chamberlain wore three pairs of layered gloves while rescuing him and told the outlet she had two concerns.
“You could actually catch it without losing a finger,” he said. “But also, what was I going to do with that?”
They transported it in a large container with water from the lake.
The turtle is being cared for at a veterinary facility, where a veterinarian named it Fluffy, and will be transported to a zoo or a private caretaker.
The prehistoric-looking snapping turtle can be identified by its spiked shell that looks a bit like an alligator. It has a bite that can break a human bone. Wild Side Vets
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“I suspect someone bought it and didn’t realize what it was, it’s gotten too big to care for, or they can’t afford to feed it,” he told the outlet.
These carnivorous creatures have complicated needs, a voracious appetite, and a nasty bite that can pierce bone. They can weigh almost 200 pounds.
The dinosaur-like turtles have pointy shells and primitive-looking faces, and are also found in South and Central America.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, the number of alligator snapping turtles is declining due to habitat degradation and overexploitation for their meat.
They are not endangered, but some states have banned collecting them from the wild.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department previously rewarded up to $1,000 to people who reported poaching of threatened species, The Post reported.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn