The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a terrapin was found near a rubbish tip in Edinburgh.
Scotland’s animal welfare charity was alerted when a woman walking her dog spotted the creature on a grass verge close to the recycling point on Old Dalkeith Road on Saturday.
The female yellow bellied terrapin is now in the care of the Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Balerno, where she has been aptly nicknamed Tippy.
Senior Inspector Jenny Scott said, “Terrapins need heat and water to survive and Tippy would soon have perished had she gone undiscovered.
“At this stage we don’t know whether she has been deliberately abandoned, although it seems quite likely.
“Just last month we warned people not to be tempted to buy a terrapin following the release of the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
“Terrapins require a considerable amount of time and commitment and can live for up to 60 years so the decision to take one on shouldn’t be made lightly.
“If anyone knows who may have owned Tippy we would ask them to contact us to help us with our investigation.
“Tippy is around 10 inches in size and in good condition. We’ll look after her until we can find her a loving new home.”
Abandoning an animal is an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and anyone found guilty of doing so can expect to be banned from keeping animals for a fixed period or life.
Anyone with information is being urged to contact the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
Photo by Scottish SPCA
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
