1/6 Earlier this week, the Animal Ambulance picked up a found turtle in Waspik. Photo: Animal Ambulance Brabant-Noord.
Have you seen a turtle near you? Then you’re not alone. Due to the warm weather, they come out of their hiding places en masse. Various reports have been received at the various animal ambulances in recent weeks.
Employees of the Animal Ambulance Den Bosch went out on Wednesday to pick up two red-eared sliders, says Monique van de Wijdeven. “On Tuesday we also picked up a turtle”
The turtles go from Den Bosch to animal shelter De Maashorst. There they are picked up by employees of Stichting Schildpaddenopvang Nederland in Harkema, Friesland.
The telephone has also been ringing almost daily at the control room of the Dierenambulance Brabant-Noord in recent weeks because people have seen a turtle. For example, another one was picked up in Waspik on Tuesday. “It is extremely hot. Reptiles become more active in this heat. They move more and then you see them a lot more,” says Rens van Lieshout, who works at the control room.
“In our nature a turtle decays”
“You can now find them on the asphalt, for example. That gets very hot and they like that.” These are often turtles that were once kept as pets and were later released into the wild by the owner.”
Many people think that turtles in the Netherlands can survive outside. But in our nature, a tortoise eats up something every year due to lack of heat and proper nutrition. After a few years they die.” Under the right conditions, turtles can live more than a hundred years.
The turtles that are picked up by the Dierenambulance Brabant-Noord go to the Regional Animal Shelter in Ravenstein. Then they also go to the Frisian Harkema.
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