Set down in Troisdorf Police officers in trouble after turtle rescue
Troisdorf · After the police found a turtle on Tuesday and subsequently left it in the Rotter See, there may now be trouble. Because the reptile may have been a special turtle from North America.
The turtle that police rescued on Tuesday at a roundabout in Troisdorf continued to keep the district police and the Rhein-Sieg district busy on Wednesday and Thursday. It turned out that the turtle was not the extremely rare European pond terrapin, as the officers had initially reported. According to the regional council, the reptile probably belongs to the genus of the ornamental turtles from North America and therefore does not belong here. There had been excitement in the social networks about it, the district police therefore called in the office for environmental and nature protection of the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis.
This turtle species is often sold by the animal trade in Five-Deutschmark coin size and is often abandoned illegally by private individuals once they become too big. As reported, officials had captured the turtle because it had interrupted traffic at the roundabout on Uckendorfer Strasse.
The turtle first tried to flee into a bush, but according to the report, after a short pursuit it was caught by the officers. The animal put up "considerable resistance" by defending itself with its claws. In the end, the rebel animal was taken into custody, transported into the patrol car and reassured by the officers.
The policemen finally brought the animal to the Rotter See and released the reptile there into nature in the protected area. "Ultimately, this is an administrative offence," said district spokeswoman Rita Lorenz now.
Because non-native animals must not simply be abandoned. The result could range from a written warning to a fine, Lorenz said. It is always a discretionary decision in which the possible effects are weighed up. The regional council does not assume that there is a danger for other animals.
According to the district police on their Facebook page, an expert at the Koenig Museum reports that the turtle "is present in many waters due to exposure or flight, and is not threatened by the local climate". However, the turtle should have been taken to a rescue station. "We misjudged the situation, we're sorry," said a police spokesperson. Original text: Hannah Schmitt Translation: Mareike Graepel
