DAILY TELGRAPH (Sydney, Australia) 09 April 05 Shell-shocked natives
The discovery of a feral animal in a suburban backyard in Sydney has sparked fears of an invasion by tiny environmental terrors.
The red-eared slider turtle, an introduced pest which attacks native turtles and fish, was spotted in a backyard in Blair Athol, near Campbelltown, last week.
There has been a colony of the feral turtles in the Georges River for at least nine years but, since Blair Athol is about 10km from the river, it is considered unlikely they are the same turtles.
University of Western Sydney herpetologist Shelley Burgin said the find was a symptom of a growing problem.
"It's getting to the stage where one here or there is just the tip of the iceberg," Associate Professor Burgin said.
"The population in the Georges River was a breeding population, but it's unlikely this turtle is one of them - it's a long way to travel."
The turtle was found by Blair Athol resident Jonathon Perle who took a picture of the turtle and sent it to officials for identification.
The turtle unfortunately then disappeared.
The slider turtle problem has become so bad that the Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment Departments will hold a meeting with Ms Burgin to discuss what can be done about the problem.
Ms Burgin criticised the length of time it has taken for government departments to act on the problem which could lead to an invasion.
"The problem is that the Department of Agriculture looks after feral animals, but they're worried about foxes and pigs - why would they look after feral turtles? Nobody has a high priority for these things because it's not their core business."
Ms Burgin said more work needed to be done to find out just how far the turtles had spread and what could be done to eradicate them.
The turtles were popular pets until they were banned in the 1980s for spreading diseases to humans.
Shell-shocked natives