A small one was recovered from a lake in the Cumbria province of north-west England turtle – alligator (alligator snapping turtle).
A woman, a municipal councilor of the area, organized the operation and immediately after transported this strange species to a local veterinary clinic for further treatment.
Denise Chamberlain, who collected the reptile, has lived in Florida and recognized exactly what she was seeing.
“I suspect someone bought her and didn’t understand what she was, got too old to take care of her, or couldn’t afford to take care of her,” she said. To catch her, the woman used three pairs of construction gloves and a large shopping basket. “Everyone came together to help,” he added.
Doctor Dominic Mull, who received the alligator snapping turtle, informed that this particular species can cause a “nasty bite”. Even cutting off human fingers.
He even appeared surprised when Chamberlain took him the alligator-turtle. He thought the mysterious reptile would be a careta careta or a terrapin.
“She looks quite cute in a weird way,” she added, revealing that she was christened Fluffy. As he also mentioned the turtle would be “dangerous for the environment because it eats almost everything”.
Alligator turtles live in rivers and swamps of the southern states of the USA and mainly in Florida. They are recognized thanks to their hard shell and their appearance is reminiscent of dinosaurs.
They feed on fish, frogs, small mammals, and even other turtles. They can reach a length of 100 cm and weigh up to 90 kg.