By Deirdre Bardolf
Published
Feb. 10, 2024, 5:00 p.m. ET
There was nothing “Fluffy” about this creature fished out of a small English lake.
An invasive alligator snapping turtle — a creature native to Florida and known for its mean bite — was discovered in the county of Cumbria in the northwest United Kingdom, where a local official fished it out with a shopping basket, the BBC reported.
The creature was spotted by a dog walker.
Parish councilwoman Denise Chamberlain wore three pairs of layered gloves as she rescued it, and told the outlet she had two concerns.
“One was actually catching it without losing a finger,” she said. “But also, what was I going to do with it?”
She transported in a large container with water from the lake.
The turtle is being cared for by a veterinary center, where a vet named it Fluffy, and will be transported to a zoo or a private keeper.
The prehistoric-looking alligator snapping turtle can be identified by its spiked shell that somewhat resembles an alligator. It has a bite that can snap a human bone. Wild Side Vets
“I suspect somebody has bought it and not realized what it is, it has got too big for them to look after or they cannot afford to feed it,” she told the outlet.
The carnivorous creatures have complicated needs, a voracious appetite and a nasty bite, which have can break through a bone. They can grow to be nearly 200 pounds.
The dinosaur-like turtles have spiky shells and primitive-looking faces, and are also found in South and Central America.
Alligator snapping turtles’ numbers are declining due to habitat degradation and overharvesting for their meat, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
They are not endangered, but some states have banned collecting them from the wild.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department previously rewarded up to $1,000 to people who reported poaching of the threatened species, The Post reported.
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