Shropshire Star

A long way from home: Jeremy the turtle is spotted at Ellesmere beauty spot

Ellesmere sees thousands of visitors each year – but this hefty turtle named Jeremy is far from home.

Published

Jeremy was spotted by people at the mere and it looks like he could have been abandoned by his owners.

Now, wildlife experts are asking anyone who sees him to report their sighting or bring him in to Shropshire Wildlife Trust at The Boathouse.

It is thought that Jeremy could have been deserted because he had outgrown his home.

Cath Price, who works at the trust in Ellesmere, said: "We are really hoping that if anybody spots him sitting on the bank at the mere then they will capture it and bring it in to us.

"In fact we are offering a free cup of tea and cake for anyone who captures it.

"It was photographed next to the man's feet which we think are size 10 – he really is a sizeable beast. But they are alien species to the mere and actually can be vicious predators."

Ms Price believes the turtle could be a terrapin – generally smaller species of turtles often bought as tiny pets sometimes no bigger than a couple of inches.

But the animals can grow to up to two feet and can live for about 10-20 years.

So when the turtles outgrow their tanks many are dumped in the wild and can have a knock-on effect to other animals.

Ms Price said: "We don't want it eating the fish eggs and bird eggs.

"It is not part of the eco-system here at the mere and it needs rehoming.

"We want somebody to catch it because it looks like it has just come out of hibernation so it may have survived the winter.

"We need to rehome it and remove it from the mere."

Ms Price has said that anybody who sees Jeremy should pick him up by holding either side of its shell between the two sets of legs and keeping away from the beak as the animals are known to bite.

If people don't feel comfortable picking the animal up they should come and get someone from the Boathouse to help capture it.

Ms Price added: "People need to think about the long-term when buying a pet.

"Leaving an alien species in the mere is very irresponsible."