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WANGANUI CHRONICLE (New Zealand) 31 January 06 Virginia Lake home to turtle population (Laurel Stowell)
Aristotle has got mates that live at Virginia Lake, but those in the know aren’t saying where.
Aristotle was a red-eared terrapin found swimming in the Whanganui River in December.
She escaped capture, but her smaller companion was snaffled up and returned to its carer in January.
There are more turtles out there.
Those in the river were red-eared terrapins but there has been a turtle population – probably of snake-necked terrapins, an Australian species – at Wanganui’s Virginia Lake for many years.
The lake’s aviary manager, Darryl Greeks, has seen the terrapins on three separate occasions during the past 10 years and said there were at least two of them.
They have been seen in the water and some distance from the lake on tracks.
Terrapins live in the water and on land. They have to come to the surface to breathe when swimming.
Mr Greeks has even got a photo of a female terrapin laying 13 eggs. He didn’t believe they would have hatched, because Wanganui temperatures were not hot enough for long enough.
Terrapins eat insects, small fish, snails and some plant food. They can live 30 years.
They can carry salmonella – a diarrhoea and vomiting disease – and they bark when they are angry.
Mr Greeks wouldn’t say where at the lake his ones live. “I’m afraid people will hurt or steal them.”
Turtles are not listed as unwanted organisms in New Zealand law, Conservation Department Whanganui area manager Nic Peet said.
“But there’s concern that they could establish in the wild. If any were brought in to DoC we would probably take them to a pet shop or have them humanely euthanased.
“They’re cute when they’re little, but when they’re big and hungry they can be hard to cope with. People should avoid putting them out into the wild.”
http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3670637&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=