It seems there are lots of mystery reptiles wandering around Swadlincote, after readers came forward to share their own stories after a terrapin was spotted at Midway ponds.
It turns out that the creature spotted in the ponds may have been there much longer than we thought, with some readers claiming it has been lurking around for over 15 years.
Geoff Cross said that he had caught the creature while fishing at the pond in Midway, and believes that it may have been a pet that was released.
Kevin Cox claimed to have seen another reptile hanging around in the pond at Swadlincote Woodlands, while another reader claimed to have spotted one at Foremark Reservoir, close to Carvers Rock.
Others jokingly claimed that masses of the creatures were released in the late 80s when popular TV show the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was in its prime.
However, Trevor Taylor, biodiversity planning officer from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, says that it is dangerous to release the creatures into the wild, both for them themselves and their habitats.
He said: "While it is not a common thing to come across terrapins in the wild in Derbyshire, we do get occasional records of sightings in the wild, particularly in urban parks.
"Apart from being illegal to release them into the wild, it is also cruel to the terrapins which may struggle to survive the British weather and in cool summers would fail to put on sufficient reserves to survive through hibernation.
"They also cause damage to our native eco-systems as they may spread disease to our native amphibians as well as eating frogs, newts, fish and young birds. They also interfere with the nests of waterfowl. So on the whole it is a bad thing to release terrapins into the wild."
