14 DAY TRIAL // It looks like snapping turtles inhabiting the US Midwest are sick and tired of living in the countryside. Hence the fact that they are now moving to the city in fairly large numbers.
Wildlife researchers at the University of Missouri claim that, as far as they can tell, many representatives of this species are biding their native lands farewell and heading towards urban areas.
Rest assured, the turtles are looking to steal people's high paid jobs. On the contrary, they're merely trying to get away from the environmental pollution present in their natural habitats.
Interestingly enough, the turtles are so determined not to spend their lives living among loads of dangerous chemical compounds that they don't seem to mind that life in the city means interacting with humans a tad more often than they are accustomed to.
“Snapping turtles are animals that can live in almost any aquatic habitat as long as their basic needs for survival are met,” post-doctoral researcher Bill Peterman explains.
“Unfortunately, suitable aquatic habitats for turtles are being degraded by pollution or completely lost due to development. We found that snapping turtles can persist in urbanized areas, despite the potential for more interaction with humans,” he goes on to say.
The researchers reassure that, although some might freak out when they come across a snapping turtle that's walking about their property, these animals do not constitute a threat.
“Everyone has a snapping turtle story, but some are just too far-fetched and lead to false accusations. In reality, snapping turtles aren’t aggressive animals and won’t bite unless they are provoked.”
“So, if you should happen to see one around your property, simply leave it alone and let it go about its business,” Bill Peterman points out.
The researchers theorize that, should people quit polluting the snapping turtles’ natural habitats, these animals would leave urban areas and return to their homes.