Turtle found roaming streets
Veterinarians are hoping to find the owner of an escapee turtle found roaming the streets of a New Plymouth suburb.
The adult red-eared slider was discovered in the gutter next to a footpath in Blagdon yesterday and taken to New Plymouth Vet Group.
Turtles are generally thought of as slow moving – not everyone’s idea of an escapee. But vet Robert Mills said turtles can be ‘‘pretty camouflaged’’.
‘‘When they want to go somewhere, they’ll go,’’ he said. ‘‘People like to let them outside to sunbathe and the turtles take that as an opening to do a runner.’’
Mills said the female turtle was in very good condition and had definitely been an owned pet. ‘‘A person will look after it for us until the owner is found,’’ he said. ‘‘If they get in touch with us, we’ll link them up.’’
He said the underside of the turtle is unique like a fingerprint and can be useful for owners to identify their pets.
The turtles – which come from Central America and the lower US states – can be prolific breeders. Red-eared sliders can live for up to 50 years and produce about 400 offspring. They are omnivorous and will eat nearly anything.
It was the third escapee turtle in a while that Mills can recall. ‘‘In Taranaki, we’re probably a little on the cold side,’’ he said.
‘‘But in Auckland, it’s started to be considered a pest. They’ll eat basically anything, including little native fish. They’re considered harmful to the environment.’’
The Auckland Council has announced that pet stores in the super city will not be able to stock the breed from September.
New Zealand banned the importation of red-eared sliders in 1965, but it is legal to own and breed the reptiles.