![](https://i3.wp.com/www.merkur.de/assets/images/34/955/34955187-schnappschildkroete-in-der-reptilien-auffangstation-1QAvB3sqEyfe.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
Press
The consequences of the heavy rainfall are also evident in the animal world. A rare turtle was washed into Lake Ilmen in Baden-Württemberg. This is not the first case.
Ilmensee/Munich – The recent storms in Baden-Württemberg washed an exotic animal ashore: a snapping turtle. The reptile’s finders handed it over to the Munich reptile rescue center, the center announced. This is already the third animal of this species to be discovered in a short period of time.
Rare turtle in Baden-Württemberg – it weighs ten kilos
The turtle was discovered on a federal highway in the municipality of Illmensee (Sigmaringen district). It weighs ten kilograms, making it the heaviest of the three snapping turtles found in recent weeks.
The experts at the station suspect that the newly washed-up turtle has left its usual habitat to find a new shelter. Jennifer Vogl from the rescue center told the German Press Agency (dpa): “But we are not sure.”
Snapping turtles come to rescue center – finding new owners is difficult
Most recently, on June 11, two snapping turtles were washed ashore in Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate as a result of the flooding.
These two animals were also brought to the reptile rescue center in Munich. At the time, the center’s experts suspected that the turtles were originally kept as pets and then released by their owners. They then seem to have settled in bathing lakes.
The reptile rescue center in Munich is a non-profit organization. According to its own information, it is the largest rescue center for exotic pets in this country. Vogl explained that turtles spend the rest of their lives in the center. Passing them on involves a number of hurdles.
“On the one hand, keeping these species is prohibited in Germany, and the potential danger makes it even more difficult to pass them on,” the station informs on its website. As of the end of June, there are said to be a total of 30 snapping turtles in the rescue center. In order to take in a dangerous animal, a permit to keep dangerous animals must be presented.
Exotic reptile considered dangerous
Snapping turtles can bite. They come from North America. In Germany they are also called “faunal adulterators” because they can eat and displace native species.
Anyone who finds a turtle can send a photo directly to the rescue center to determine the species. Regardless of whether the washed-up turtles are potentially dangerous or not, a report should always be made to the relevant regulatory authorities. In Nuremberg, the fire department rescued a turtle from the recycling center.
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