North American turtle finds new home

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Ramsloh – It was an unusual discovery that was made in June in a garden in Ramsloh. Residents had discovered a turtle there. As it turned out a little later, it was a North American slider turtle. As an initial search for the owners was unsuccessful, the animal was housed in the Seelter Reptilienhuus. In addition, the Saterland municipality continued to search for the animal's owners. They could have come forward by the end of July – but have not done so to date.

Secured pond

The turtle has now found a new home. On August 1st, the animal was given to a family outside of Saterland, reports Saterland's First Councillor Jens Gralheer in an interview with our editorial team. However, this is still subject to change in case the actual owner comes forward. The owner of the Seelter reptile house, Florian Häselbarth, made contact with the new owners. The family contacted him. “They have an exemplary fenced pond suitable for turtles,” reports Häselbarth.

Invasive art

The Ramsloh resident, who is also repeatedly contacted by large control centers as an expert when amphibians or reptiles suddenly appear or are confiscated, identified the found animal in June as a North American slider turtle and took it into his small zoo, where it lived in quarantine behind the scenes for a good month and a half. “The animal was healthy,” says Häselbarth. However, it is important that the animal no longer lives in the wild, because the North American slider turtle is considered an invasive species and threatens the local fauna. Trade in these animals has also been prohibited for several years. Since the turtle species also survives the mild winters here, it is possible that the animal was abandoned years ago or escaped and has been living in the wild in Saterland ever since.

The turtle could not stay in the small zoo in Saterland. There was not enough space, said the owner. He could not permanently house every animal he found in the Seelter Reptilienhuus.

New turtle

After the found turtle was moved a good month and a half ago, a new turtle moved in. “We took in a Chinese striped turtle from Moormerland,” says Häselbarth. The animal was handed over to an animal welfare organization in Moormerland, which then contacted the Reptilienhuus. He is already in contact with a zoo in Great Britain that runs a protection project and breeding program for Chinese striped turtles. The zoo should take in the animal or find a zoological facility.

Many

For a good month now, the Reptilienhuus has been receiving a lot of requests to take in animals. Various turtles and snakes are among the animals on offer. On the one hand, these become visible because of the hot weather and come out of ponds or their hiding places. But many private individuals also no longer want to keep their animals. Taking in the latter is only possible if they cover the costs. Otherwise, they endeavour to take in every animal that is found or confiscated, Häselbarth said in June.