Alligator Turtle Terrorizes German Lake, Attacks Boy
An alligator turtle is currently wreaking havoc in a small German town after it was blamed for attacking a boy swimming in the lake.
Volunteers and firefighters are helping to scour the bed of water at the Oggenrieder Weiher, in Bavaria, to find the creature, but they have so far failed in their search.
They even drained the lake at the weekend, after transferring 500 fish to a local pond, as they look to confirm that the attack was orchestrated by a alligator snapping turtle, which isn’t a native species to the area.
It’s believed that the turtle, which has already acquired a nickname, Lotti, is 16 inches long and weighs at least 30 pounds.
Last week, an eight-year-old German boy holidaying in the region was bitten whilst having a relaxing swim in the lake. Because of the bite his achilles tendon was severed in two places. After he was seen to by doctors, zoologists from Munich looked at his wounds and came to the conclusion that they were caused by an alligator turtle.
Alligator turtles are normally restricted to North America, and German authorities have now speculated that the reptile was let free into the lake by its owner.
Andreas Lieb, the local mayor, has offered a £1,330 reward to any individual who is able to capture Lotti. However, he has also stated they shouldn’t attempt to catch the turtle without help from an expert.
Qualified professionals believe that Lotti might now be hiding in thick mud, away from the prying eyes of his captures, thus their search might prove futile.
Mr Lieb remarked that the entire incident is a “disaster” because it has come during the town’s most popular time of the year. Turtles have been banned in Germany since 1999, which simply adds more intrigue to this bizarre tale.
