By Elizabeth Hunter via SWNS
A turtle “the size of a dinner plate” has been rescued from a water treatment plant.
The red-eared terrapin was discovered by a Southern Water employee at Testwood Water Supply Works in Totton, Hampshire.
Spotted by senior ecologist at Southern Water, Tom Alexander, the terrapin was quickly rescued and rehomed.
Tom said: “I saw the terrapin sunning itself at the edge of one of the water points. I reached over and picked it up and the terrapin didn’t struggle at all.
“I kept it in my bath at home while I found an animal charity that would agree to rehome it.
The terrapin was around about the size of a large dinner plate, weighed around 5 kilograms and was around 25cm long.
“My children loved having him at home and named him Terry.”
After being taken in at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, “Terry” was identified as a female and renamed to “Terri.”
Terri has now been transferred to a terrapin sanctuary within the center, where she can spend hibernation season, before living out the rest of her life at Raystede.
Amelia Thomas, Rehoming Manager, said: “Terrapins are often bought as pets as they are small and relatively cheap but there is woefully little information about how to keep them. Many owners do not realize that terrapins grow into very large adults!
“We identified this particular terrapin as female and renamed her ‘Terri’.
“Terri is one of our biggest terrapin residents! She spent some time in our isolation unit, being closely monitored by our Small Animal Team.
“She has now been placed into our large, new terrapin sanctuary just in time for hibernation season.
“All our terrapins will live permanently at Raystede and Terri and her friends will live out their years happily here with us.”
