Thief returns stinky stolen turtle
HER species is known to release a foul- smelling liquid when threatened.
So when Clyde the mud turtle was stolen from a Cheshire aquarium, it was perhaps no surprise that the young thief returned her the following day.
Whatever the motivation for bringing the reptile back yesterday, keepers at the Blue Planet Aquarium, in Ellesmere Port, were delighted and relieved.
They had alerted police on Tuesday evening after noticing Clyde was not in her enclosure. Witnesses reported seeing a boy climb into her tank and emerge dripping wet, with the turtle hidden under his jumper, at around 5.30pm.
In a nationwide appeal, keepers warned Clyde could die without specialist care. Police issued CCTV footage of a woman they wanted to speak to in connection with the theft.
But as fears were growing for the animal yesterday, the turtle was returned to the aquarium in a washing up bowl of water.
Three women were seen leaving her at the aquarium’s reception area at around 2pm. Police said the incident had been dealt with under the terms of ‘restorative justice’ – where offenders are urged to apologise to their victims and understand the consequences of their actions. No arrests were made.
Keeper Tom Fielding said: ‘ The water she was brought back in was incredibly cold but I’m just thankful she’s back and we can get her back to fighting fit now.’
He added that she was named Clyde by her first owner, who assumed the turtle was male. She is expected to recover fully.
Cheshire Police said officers were speaking to those who returned Clyde to ‘establish the circumstances of the incident’.