Snapping turtle captured. Forestry officials file complaint

Here is the snapping turtle that was wandering around the Rinaldi area. A specimen with a carapace with a diameter of more than 40 centimeters, which in recent days had been filmed by a girl who was jogging in the area. The turtle, a specimen of Chelydra serpentina , is an alien species in our territory, it is dangerous for the fauna and fish of the area, and is aggressive enough to even attack humans.

It was captured by a citizen who lives in the area, who immediately alerted the forest police of Florence, who arrived in Scandicci together with personnel from the Cites unit. The snapping turtle is a species for which trade, importation and possession are illegal. Last May another one was captured by the forest police in the Empoli area. In all likelihood, the turtle in question had been purchased by someone who, faced with the excessive growth and aggressiveness of the animal, must have decided to get rid of it. For this reason, the forest police have sent a complaint to the prosecutor's office against unknown persons for the crimes of abandonment of animals, possession of specimens of protected species without the required documentation and possession of a specimen considered dangerous for health, public safety and biodiversity.

On the same day, however, at Isolotto, the Carabinieri also reported a citizen who had six tortoises of the most common species in our territory in his garden. While specimens of snapping turtles cannot be kept in any way; for native tortoises, the keeping has no longer been regularized since 1995: these are specimens that absolutely cannot be taken from the natural environment and, if they are found in an urban environment, they must be relocated to nature, even in rural peri-urban areas far from busy roads. A different discussion must be made for specimens bred for sale, whose trade and keeping is permitted with the appropriate certification of origin.

The forest police also remind that it is forbidden to keep aquatic turtles (known for the red stripe on their heads), in the past for sale or as a prize in amusement parks. This species can also no longer be kept, bred, or allowed to reproduce. The 'snapper' turtles do not belong to our ecosystem and can cause harm, attacking even large fish and medium-sized birds such as ducks. They are mainly carnivorous, and their bite is strong enough to shatter bones and cut through flesh with ease. The bite is very powerful, so much so that it can completely separate a human phalanx.

Fabrizio Morviducci