Turtle hunt underway for invasive red-eared slider near Christina Lake
Local stewardship society says invasive turtle could damage vulnerable painted turtle population
A hunt is underway for an invasive species of turtle in the West Kootenay region of B.C.
For the past few weeks, wildlife lovers have been trying to catch a red-eared slider near Christina Lake.
The escape artist was first spotted by a motorist who snapped a photo of it crossing the road and posted it online, mistakenly believing it was a painted turtle.
"We looked at this photo and went, 'That's not a painted turtle, that is a red-eared slider,'" says Heather Ling with the Christina Lake Stewardship Society.
Red-eared sliders are not indigenous to the region; they grow to be over a foot long and can do serious damage to local painted turtles, which are listed as a vulnerable species.
"It's taken a while for them to bounce back, and we have a pretty healthy population here. Introducing something like this is pretty scary for me," Ling said.
Volunteers with the stewardship society have been trying to catch the invasive turtle, but to no avail.
"People will call and they'll say, 'The turtle is down here right now!' And we go down with our nets," Ling said. "It's being elusive. It's being stubborn."
Ling said the turtle was probably a pet let go in the wild, which she says is not good for the turtle or the ecosystem.
With files from Bob Keating