Do Not Mess With Fish 106

and you thought fish were fun! when is a fish not a fish? in Steve Bellion's case when the carp he thought he had caught turns out to be a 57 lb. 80-year-old alligator snapping turtle, the turtle was caught in Earlswood's Engine Pool, where Mr Bellion fishes regularly, the alligator snapping turtle, North America's largest freshwater turtle, can weigh over 80kg and live to 160 years old, British Waterways ecologist Paul Wilkinson said: 'Although it is a shame that we are taking this special animal out of the wild, it is necessary to protect the natural balance and she should settle down nicely with the experts at the West Midland Safari Park,' I think he meant with the other turtles not experts! it is believed the animal, thought to around 80 years old, has been biting through anglers' lines and preying on local wildlife for around a decade, the reptile, previously mistaken for an alligator, has escaped after being caught by anglers on previous occasions, the creature, which has been re homed at West Midland Safari Park, in Bewdley, Worcestershire, is thought to have been a pet which was dumped after becoming too big, and there was me reaching for the cook book !