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Terrapins on the Grand Union


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I just saw a terrapin above bridge No55 above Hatton flight. It was clinging to a branch in the water as I went past, but had swim off before I could get a photo. Can anyone corroborate my sighting as my family don't believe me (Not after the 4ft swimming grass snake I saw on the K&A).

Edited by Binkie's Grandson
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I can't confirm one at Hatton, but I've seen one at Wakefield on the Calder & Hebble and I've seen one near Tarleton on the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool.

 

The one at Wakefield was swimming in the lock, and a bunch of gongoozlers were trying to prevent me coming into the lock so I didn't scare it, in fairly brisk river conditions.  Err, No, I don't think so!

 

They were also discussing how to fish it out of an empty lock with a too short branch, and one of them was already on the ladder flailing around like an idiot.  I just drove into the lock carefully, and MrsBiscuit fished it out with a landing net.

 

20180526_162654-1.jpg.fa45d6e656c5d77a42bcbefdb70feab7.jpg

 

Someone then called the RSPCA to come and rescue it, and I suspect they simply took it round the corner and released it back into the river!

 

 

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They are all over the place, Bradley arm, Stourbridge, lots of other canals, I don't know if they bread in the UK out in the wild or if these are all ex nija turtles that kids bought

44 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

I can't confirm one at Hatton, but I've seen one at Wakefield on the Calder & Hebble and I've seen one near Tarleton on the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool.

 

The one at Wakefield was swimming in the lock, and a bunch of gongoozlers were trying to prevent me coming into the lock so I didn't scare it, in fairly brisk river conditions.  Err, No, I don't think so!

 

They were also discussing how to fish it out of an empty lock with a too short branch, and one of them was already on the ladder flailing around like an idiot.  I just drove into the lock carefully, and MrsBiscuit fished it out with a landing net.

 

20180526_162654-1.jpg.fa45d6e656c5d77a42bcbefdb70feab7.jpg

 

Someone then called the RSPCA to come and rescue it, and I suspect they simply took it round the corner and released it back into the river!

 

 

Is it not an offence to release non native species into the wild

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12 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

They are all over the place, Bradley arm, Stourbridge, lots of other canals, I don't know if they bread in the UK out in the wild or if these are all ex nija turtles that kids bought

Is it not an offence to release non native species into the wild

Should be killed on sight, invasive non native specie.  I can think of a few more that should go the same way.

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4 hours ago, Binkie's Grandson said:

I just saw a terrapin above bridge No55 above Hatton flight. It was clinging to a branch in the water as I went past, but had swim off before I could get a photo. Can anyone corroborate my sighting as my family don't believe me (Not after the 4ft swimming grass snake I saw on the K&A).

There was definitely one just the other side of bridge 66 earlier in the year, so yes, very likely. 

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4 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

 

They were also discussing how to fish it out of an empty lock with a too short branch, and one of them was already on the ladder 

Someone then called the RSPCA to come and rescue it, and I suspect they simply took it round the corner and released it back into the river!

 

 

I doubt it IIRC it is illegal to release non native species into the wild in the UK.

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34 minutes ago, Jerra said:

The RSPCA don't say they knock things on the head!   They would be looking to rehome it.

They wouldn't be doing anything. They have a national phone number to remote call handlers who have no idea of local geography.  They wouldn't know Bridge 55 above Hatton top lock if they fell from it into the Grand Union, which they wouldn't, because they wouldn't know where it was in the first place.  ;)

 

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I first saw a terrapin in the 1980s on the Trent and Mersey between Great Haywood and Stone. Apparently the weather is too cold for them to breed in the UK, thankfully. I saw a very large goldfish about 12 inches long in the Huddersfield Broad about 10 years ago.

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2 hours ago, tree monkey said:

How hard would that be, each time you prepare to swing the head knocking tool, in pops his head :)

You dress up as an Amazon delivery driver, pop a cardboard box with "Prime Turtle Food" written on it just in front of him, then knock on the shell...  :judge:

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2 hours ago, Ray T said:

Oh goody I can give this another airing.

 

I say who was that terrapin I saw you with last night?

 

That was no terrapin it was my teacher, she taught us.

I have read it several times Ray, I know that some mobile classrooms are called Terrapins  but you will still have to explain!

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1 minute ago, David Schweizer said:

I have read it several times Ray, I know that some mobile classrooms are called Terrapins  but you will still have to explain!

Taught us = tortoise, being of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines, turtles.

 

Tortoise being land based turtles.

 

School boy joke level.

Edited by Ray T
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9 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Should be killed on sight, invasive non native specie.  I can think of a few more that should go the same way.

You put it a bit stronger than me.

 

Just found this 
This regulation was mandated into EU law on the January 1, 2015, came into practice in the UK and the EU on August 16, 2016. ... Owners of this species who reside in the UK can keep their turtle; however, it is illegal to import, breed, sell or rehome it. Also, it is very illegal to release it to the wild.

1 hour ago, PeterF said:

I first saw a terrapin in the 1980s on the Trent and Mersey between Great Haywood and Stone. Apparently the weather is too cold for them to breed in the UK, thankfully. I saw a very large goldfish about 12 inches long in the Huddersfield Broad about 10 years ago.

Seen a couple of Koi this trip

Edited by ditchcrawler
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