(Østlands-Posten): – Did you know that there are turtles in Lågen?
The question was given to the EP last weekend.
This sounds like an early April Fool’s joke, we thought in the editorial office, and made a phone call to Nils-Olav Gjone to ask if there was any truth to this rumour. He is responsible for disease preparedness in Numedalslågen Management Team.
– If you had asked two years ago, I would have taken it as an April Fool’s joke. Now it is not like that. There are actually quite a few turtles in Numedalslågen, he can confirm.
Thought it was a hoax
The first person who reported that he had seen turtles in Lågen was not believed.
– It was assumed that there was a good atmosphere and alcohol involved. But it was a good salmon fisherman who reported this, and it was true, says Gjone.
The first reporters were unsure of what they had observed. One of the first to document observations of turtles in Lågen was Sverre Lysnes.
At this point, Gjone had received some inquiries, but without the opportunity to verify.
– I thought it was a strange rock and kicked it with my leg. Then it flew away, says Lysnes, who also met a turtle later on.
– Then we got it into a bucket and tried to contact Gjone, but had to let it go out again. It couldn’t be there.
Most of the deposits are registered at the border between old Larvik and Lardal.
– They have spread into the tributaries as well. It is difficult to say how many there are. Observations have been made from the tributaries up towards Vindfjell and from Hvarnes up towards Holtebygda, says Gjone.
He points out that it is a clear sign of disease when foreign species enter.
Purchase of turtles
It is basically forbidden to introduce, sell and have exotic mammals, reptiles and amphibians, but three turtle species are exempt from the ban.
These turtle species are allowed in Norway:
- Greek tortoise Testudo hermanni
- Red-footed wood turtle Chelonoidis carbonarius (Geochelone carbonaria)
- Chinese loggerhead turtle Chinemys reevesi (Mauremys reevesi)
You can keep turtles that you have been granted a dispensation to keep. This applies even if the species is not one of the three legal turtle species. Turtles that have lived in Norway since before 1 January 1977 can also be kept.
Source: Mattilsynet.no
North American turtle
– It masters the arctic seasonal climate. It hibernates in the winter and pops out when the temperature becomes relatively decent, much like the beaver. With so many observations, we assume that it has established itself, he says further.
No observations have been made downstream, from Holmfoss and out to the mouth of Lågen.
– There are many indications that this is something that has been set out in the side streams. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a conscious release, continues Gjone, who doesn’t think this is as exciting and sweet as perhaps many readers do.
There is talk of measures that must be put in place to eradicate them.
– Now, together with the Veterinary Institute and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, we have to make a decision on what to do. We use a lot of resources to remove unwanted species in other waters and this is a demanding job, says Gjone.
Everyone believes that this is the red-eared turtle species, escaped or released from captivity.
Red ear terrapin
Red-eared terrapin is a species of turtle in the terrapin family. It is widespread in North America.
The subspecies Trachemys scripta elegans is particularly abundant in Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
The carapace is usually 15 to 23 centimeters long, but can exceptionally reach a length of over 50 centimeters.
It is popular for use in aquariums and has thus been spread to other parts of the world. In many places it has spread at the expense of native species. It is, for example, found in nature in many places in Sweden and Denmark.
Source: snl.no
Eating meat
Petter Bøckman, zoologist at the Museum of Natural History, answers bluntly when we tell what is happening in Lågen.
– Then it is time for someone to do their job, he says.
The species was specifically not included in the list of what you can have in Norway, precisely because it has the potential to spread.
At the same time, he says that this species is known to release a lot of salmonella when it empties itself. Not necessarily so dangerous in water, but at home in an aquarium it is worse.
– Here someone has to prepare for turtle hunting, Bøckman asserts.
They are not cute, slow herbivores, or cozy slackers who frolic.
– It can do bad things to bird species. Eats eggs and young. In water, they are lightning fast and they eat meat. Or they eat everything, so to speak.
Want the ones you kill
He says that he has seen dead mice thrown into the water in front of such turtles.
– They were quick, tore the mice in half and devoured them. Then you are cured of any perception that turtles are cute.
The species are basically very nice, beautiful animals, and with their red ears, they are among the few colorful turtles that exist.
– But if you get hold of one, send it to the aquarium in Bergen as soon as possible. I would gladly accept the carcass if someone were to be beaten to death.
At the same time, he comes up with the easiest option for killing, an option that allows him to get them all himself.
– The easiest killing is to put them in the fridge, then they go dormant, then in the freezer and they die. Simple, says the never-resting zoologist at the Natural History Museum.
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