Aggressive Americans expel native turtles from Spanish reserve

The Independent (U.K.) ^ | 10/28/03 | Elizabeth Nash

[Pokey78]

Scientists in Andalucia are fighting to control an invasion of aggressive American turtles. The interlopers are threatening to wipe out native species in the very place that should offer most protection: the nature reserve of Coto Doñana, Europe's most important wetlands.

The new bullies on the block are Florida turtles - which are also known as red-eared turtles - that can weigh up to 3kg. They are smart, aggressive, twice the size of their European counterparts, and reproduce at three times the speed.

The handsome scarlet and yellow Trachemys scripta elegans was a popular pet in the Eighties and Nineties, an exotic import from the US which was sold by pet shops throughout Europe.

"The babies are beautiful, with a brilliant yellow belly and a red mask-like stripe across the face, which is particularly striking as the turtle always stretches its neck and holds its head up," says Adolfo Marco, a scientist at the Doñana Biological Station near Seville.

"But they carry salmonellainfections, their colours fade as they grow, they start to bite and make their watery habitat stink. So owners want to get rid of them, and think it kind to release them into the wild."

Spain banned the import of red-eared turtles in 1997, alarmed at the health risk they posed for children. Freed turtles found an ideal habitat in the warm Andalucian wetlands where they dug concealed and well-protected nests, and reproduced rapidly.

Thousands now inhabit the marshy lagoons, pushing the smaller European turtle - Emys orbicularis - to poorer waters. "I think we have caught the problem in time," Mr Marco said yesterday. "Much later and the colonies would have become a source whose reproduction we couldn't control. But we found that when we remove the Florida turtles, the European ones return to their old haunts. Otherwise they would not survive." Scientists have no wish to destroy the flashy predators, just remove them from the wild.

"We plan to establish special ponds for them in local parks, where people can admire them. They would have a good quality of life, and not threaten other species," said Mr Marco. "And people could bring us their unwanted turtles, instead of throwing them out."

[Pokey78]

Send him to the ICC!

[El Conservador]

It's all Bush's fault!!! ;)

[Pikamax]

yeah! even our turtles don't respect euro animals.

[expatpat]

Scientists have no wish to destroy the flashy predators, just remove them from the wild. "We plan to establish special ponds for them in local parks....

That ain't going to work - to stop red-blooded American turtles from taking back the good areas.

[XRdsRev]

You can say what you want about the shoddiness of some American products but the fact remains.......

We build a damned good turtle.

[longtermmemmory]

On the island of kefalonia (of captain corelli's mandolin) endangered sea turtles sometimes nest on the beaches. (another island nearby has a sanctuary)

The islanders who find these turtles or eggs on the island proptly kill the turtle and destroy any found eggs. They don't want their beaches land, taken for the turtles.

[Joe Boucher]

Ought to do the same thing here in Florida to Manatees. And eat them.

[GladesGuru]

Soup time!

[PoorMuttly]

Muttly and shaggy eel can take care of this for free.

Yum !

[jordan8]

and reproduce at three times the speed.
That's a bit embarrassing. Maybe we should teach them baseball statistics.

[Free Trapper]

Muttly like turtle?Come on over.FT gets tons.Redear OK but softshell and snapper better eats,better feed for wallet, too. :O)

[Free Trapper]

I believe our redear is now established permanently on six of the seven continents through the pet and wild food trade.

The redear will be hard to get rid of without killing everything else where they are living.

[PoorMuttly]

Free Trapper BACK !!!

Muttly have lots to report. FT advice served him well in unforseen expedition ! So far PM has collected a 5' rattler (unfortunately blew-off rattles with first shot...got a little excited), and is planning his surprises for howling herds of coyotes (sound like they're in the piranha family), once he gets Official Muttly Livestock installed in new homestead. Met local giant (to Muttly !) Bobcat, and am told we have mountain lions too. What FUN ! PM waits to hear coyotes, then smiles and goes to sleep. People don't seem to realize how healing the wilds are...especially when one has been in urban jungles for too long. Some poor soul here posted complaint about 12 years of anxiety attacks. I wanted to tell them to just get out into the wildest nature you can find...and sleep there...even in your car...bring a knife, gun and flashlight...and watch as your clock gets reset to Muttly childhood, and city B.S. dissolves like the invented garbage that it is. FT inspired...encouraged Muttly...and now he is a Free Muttly...of course thanks to his Master...who moved us out here !

Hooray Free Trapper ! We eat turtles together !