Rescuer urges breeding ban

A Christchurch woman who has rescued hundreds of turtles is calling for a nationwide ban on the breeding of a ‘‘pest’’ species that is threatening native plants and animals.

Turtle Rescue founder Donna Moot said too many people bought red-eared slider turtles when they were ‘‘small and cute’’ but did not realise they could live for more than 50 years.

The Invasive Species Specialist Group lists the creature as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species and Moot said it had become a ‘‘pest pet’’ in New Zealand too.

Moot, who is one of the few people rescuing turtles in New Zealand, has more than 75 turtles at her Christchurch home currently, and another 32 at a pond in Fernside, near Rangiora.

She started rescuing and rehoming stray turtles about 11 years ago, and dealt with only two during her first year.

This year, she has received four turtles in one 24-hour period alone.

‘‘This is becoming an increasingly serious issue because I’m not getting any younger and the turtles are going to be around a lot longer than I will be.

‘‘I can’t keep taking in these turtles having nowhere for them to go,’’ she said.

Moot said the introduced turtles were being dumped in rivers and lakes, threatening native species.

A turtle taken to her last week had been found in the middle of a paddock off Christchurch’s Pound Rd, with no waterways in sight.

She called for a ban on breeding and selling the red-eared slider turtle in particular, describing it as a ‘‘strong turtle’’ that ate native flora and fauna if it was released into the wild, including birds and their eggs.

Red-eared sliders are banned in the United Kingdom, and some regional councils in New Zealand have already moved to limit their spread, such as in Waikato, where it is an offence to knowingly release one of the reptiles into the environment or to sell one from the wild.