BRITS have been left baffled after a terrapin was spotted swimming around in the River Thames.
The small reptile – a semi-aquatic, freshwater-living version of a turtle – was seen swimming in circles by a ship lock bordering the river in Limehouse, East London yesterday.
The creature, whilst not native to the UK, looked at home in the murky water – but Brits online have warned that whilst a cute sight, the creature can wreak havoc.
Though it seems very out of place in the river Thames, the shelled reptile is actually a fairly common sight in London parks, rivers and ponds.
A number of pet turtles of varying kinds have been dumped in the Thames and other London waterways over the years by dissatisfied owners fed up with their pets.
As a result, a population of the creatures and their counterparts has developed that can wreak havoc on local ecosystems.
Up to 10 different species of turtle have been discovered living in London with some rare African turtles being found in Camden Park.
Even mutant species of turtle have been discovered in a number of locations in London, terrorising park wildlife.
Not an uncommon sight in the city nowadays, the population has continued to grow despite attempted culls.
The footage of the terrapin was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: “Not a duck in the Thames.”
The clip has since received over 1,000 likes and more than 70 comments from users who were quick to warn of the dangers the animals pose to wildlife.
One user said: “We saw a terrapin in Peckham Rye Park a couple of years ago. It seems that pet owners dump them into waterways hoping that something good will happen.
“They survive and go on to destroy bird life as they eat wading birds’ eggs.”
Another added: “They are a banned invasive species under UK law. They are damaging to the local ecosystem.”
A third wrote: “I saw one sitting on a broken office chair in the canal down by Little Venice. My favourite London microcosm.”
A fourth replied: “Hope you reported that to a nearby animal rescue, terrapins aren’t native here and this is almost certainly a dumped pet.”
