Woman rescues ‘Fluffy’ the invasive alligator snapping turtle from lake

Recently, a dog walker made a shocking discovery in the county of Cumbria in the northwest United Kingdom by spotting an invasive alligator snapping turtle in a small lake.

The invasive alligator snapping turtle is a creature that is native to Florida and known for its mean bite which somehow ended up in a small English lake, The New York Post reported

The creature was fished out of the lake by a Parish councilwoman, Denise Chamberlain, using a shopping basket and three pairs of layered gloves.

She had two major concerns about the situation.

“One was actually catching it without losing a finger,” she said. “But also, what was I going to do with it?”

She transported it to a veterinary centre in a large container with water from the lake. The turtle is being cared for at the centre, where a vet named it Fluffy, though there was nothing “fluffy” about this reptilian invader.

It will be transported to a zoo or a private keeper.

“I suspect somebody has bought it and not realised what it is, it has got too big for them to look after or they cannot afford to feed it,” she told the outlet.

These dinosaur-like carnivorous creatures, found in South and Central America, have complex needs, a voracious appetite, and a nasty bite that can break bones.

They have spiky shells and primitive-looking faces.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, alligator snapping turtles’ populations are decreasing due to habitat degradation and overharvesting for their meat and some states have banned collecting them from the wild.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department previously rewarded up to $1,000 to people who reported poaching of the threatened species, The Post reported.