Interesting encounter in London

[ffutures]

Spotted in a pond on a "nature reserve garden" in a small park near my house in London - I think this explains why I've never seen any amphibians in there. I was a bit astonished, given the occasional coldness of the British climate, but it's probably several years since we had enough sustained cold weather to freeze the pond:



Shell length about 4", I think. Almost certainly a red-eared terrapin.

Comments

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

Somebody dumped their pet.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Probably.

[uk-sef.livejournal.com]

Invader! The yanks are coming! ... and other such divers alarums and excursions.

Did you report it? I think red-eared terrapins are on the official unwanted list.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6555165.stm

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

"Not n-n-n-n-nappy pin,
or s-s-s-s-safety pin,
but t-t-t-t-terrapin!
Everybody sing along..."

(Bill Oddie/ISIRTA, Late 1960s.)

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I wasn't aware of that. I'll check it out.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Don't remember that one, but I wasn't a regular listener.

[eledonecirrhosa.livejournal.com]

The BBC's One Show did a film about turtle and terrapin dumping. It's scary how many species there are! Video clip on the Beeb's website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Turtle#p00hhhk0

I remember hearing that red-eared terrapins could survive UK winters, but fortunately it never gets warm enough for them to breed.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I'll have a word with the people who run the place, maybe they can catch it or something.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Well, I was busy learning to walk and say "Da-da" at the time of original boadcast, and secretly plotting revenge on stupid children's health inspectors who crept around behind me saying my name over and over while I was trying to plot global domination... Ahem, long story. [BLUSH] But anyway, I caught up on them all a few years ago via BBC Radio7. Terrapins got referenced a lot in the show, particularly by Bill, but the Terrapin Song itself featured even more rarely than Cleese's Ferret Song.

(Punchline: Shortly after going away looking very worried, she was called back to the house by my Mum to hear little Paul parotting, in *exactly* her pitch and tone of voice, her little chant of "p-p-p-p-*Paul*!". She had to amend her notes to say "Not actually deaf, just didn't deign to answer." =:o>

But I never did achieve global domination, which is clearly *all her fault* for distracting me at a critical time! Curses!!!)