Turtles in the soup as owners dump them
The revival in popularity among young people in the 1980s TV series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has led to a growing problem for animal welfare groups – pet turtles cruelly dumped in the wild.
A pet turtle that had been abandoned was discovered strolling through Rinville Park near Oranmore this week.
The turtle would have almost certainly perished had a woman not encountered it along a path at the park while she was out walking.
The yellow-bellied turtle, a female, measures nine inches in length and is eight and a half inches wide, which is quite big for a turtle.
The Galway Society for Prevention for Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) is now caring for the turtle, which was most likely dumped by its owner because it grew so big.
“It all started with the Ninja Turtles, every child wanted a turtle and they are popular again. The problem is that they might buy them when they are the size of an old pound coin but they grow much larger. This girl was quite a big one. The problem is you have to buy a bigger tank for them but also they tend to be quite smelly,” said Margaret O’Sullivan of GSPCA.
“Turtles could live for 60 or 70 or 80 years, so it’s not just for Christmas. A pet like a turtle really is a pet for life and they have to be passed on. What often happens is the child grows up and leaves the family home and the parents are left with the turtle and they don’t want it,” she said.
She said it’s not possible that the turtle would have escaped and made its way to the park on its own. “No, by the condition of it – it was very strong and very robust – it was probably left there by someone who didn’t want it anymore. It wouldn’t have survived in the wild. Even though it’s cold-blooded, the weather would get it. It probably wouldn’t be able to find food either,” Ms O’Sullivan said.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.