Some residents of San Fernando de Henares who were fishing in the Henares River found two giant American snapping turtles, reports Telemadrid. One of them weighed between 15 and 20 kilos and the second one that appeared reached 30 kilos.
Surprised by the fact that the rod was moving with great force, the young people saw that they were giant turtles. They pulled them out of the water, captured them with a net, and held them until local police officers arrived to take them to the Wildlife Recovery Center.
Possibly, these turtles have been left by an owner who no longer wants them in their home. But well-informed sources point out that "releasing these types of animals is illegal." Their release entails fines in addition to other possible sanctions for the damage they do to flora and fauna, since they are snapping turtles, which could belong to a highly invasive species.
The Wild Animal Recovery Center welcomes injured or sick wild animals found in the Community of Madrid. He recovers them and subsequently returns them to their natural environment.
Miguel Higueras, head of the forestry agent operation, explains to La Vanguardia that "first we have to carefully analyze whether it is an invasive species or not." To which he adds: "If it were an invasive species, they would have to be sacrificed because they are dangerous"; But in his opinion, "everything indicates that they are not and then they can be transferred to a research center, a zoo or stay to live in the center itself."
