1 00:00:34,428 --> 00:00:36,469 SUZIE SIMPSON: It became very popular to buy these animals. 2 00:00:36,930 --> 00:00:39,631 They would go to the pet store, they would buy one of these very 3 00:00:39,731 --> 00:00:43,393 small hatchling turtles and somewhat easy to keep as far as 4 00:00:43,413 --> 00:00:44,194 people thought. 5 00:00:47,155 --> 00:00:49,136 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Next time you're passing a lake, river or 6 00:00:49,176 --> 00:00:52,718 canal, keep your eye on the water and you may just glimpse a 7 00:00:52,738 --> 00:00:55,540 mysterious shelled animal that looks out of place. 8 00:00:56,761 --> 00:01:00,083 Invasive Terrapins are now part of freshwater systems in the UK, 9 00:01:00,483 --> 00:01:02,384 continental Europe and beyond. 10 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:06,543 And these animals have a fascinating origin story. We're 11 00:01:06,544 --> 00:01:10,647 going back to the 80s and 90s to discover how a popular cartoon 12 00:01:10,887 --> 00:01:12,949 triggered a big abandoned animal problem. 13 00:01:15,231 --> 00:01:18,654 I'm Ranger Rosie Holdsworth. Welcome to Wild Tales, the 14 00:01:18,734 --> 00:01:21,156 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pet Craze. 15 00:01:31,512 --> 00:01:37,696 A comic convention in New Hampshire, US, 1984. Two young, 16 00:01:37,916 --> 00:01:41,259 struggling comic book artists, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, 17 00:01:41,419 --> 00:01:43,960 are hoping to get some attention with their new creation. 18 00:01:45,161 --> 00:01:49,084 They've scrambled funds to self-print their comic book. The 19 00:01:49,144 --> 00:01:53,087 concept is a bit out there. The main characters are four 20 00:01:53,247 --> 00:01:59,591 half-man, half-turtle fighters, and they're named after 21 00:01:59,611 --> 00:02:00,732 Renaissance artists. 22 00:02:01,428 --> 00:02:07,071 There's Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael and party dude 23 00:02:07,111 --> 00:02:07,831 Michelangelo. 24 00:02:09,472 --> 00:02:13,534 In fact, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles becomes so phenomenally 25 00:02:13,594 --> 00:02:18,276 popular, it's a touchpoint of 80s and 90s pop culture. And 40 26 00:02:18,336 --> 00:02:20,797 years later, the franchise is still going. 27 00:02:21,717 --> 00:02:25,519 Back in the 80s, kids are seeing the first toys, costumes and of 28 00:02:25,579 --> 00:02:27,580 course, the cartoon series. 29 00:02:30,276 --> 00:02:33,417 No one could have predicted the stratospheric global success of 30 00:02:33,418 --> 00:02:37,099 the turtles. And it seems no one predicted something else. 31 00:02:37,699 --> 00:02:40,940 How a cartoon would spark a pet craze and a conservation 32 00:02:41,081 --> 00:02:42,041 cautionary tale. 33 00:02:45,242 --> 00:02:47,063 SUZIE SIMPSON: I have the song playing in my head now. 34 00:02:47,663 --> 00:02:50,224 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: This is Suzie Simpson, leader of citizen 35 00:02:50,264 --> 00:02:54,246 science project Turtle Tally UK, recalling the Teenage Mutant 36 00:02:54,266 --> 00:02:56,887 Ninja Turtles cartoon's particular appeal. 37 00:02:58,488 --> 00:03:01,333 SUZIE SIMPSON: These turtles, they were kind of human-like 38 00:03:01,413 --> 00:03:06,316 turtles that were ninjas. This was because some radioactive goo 39 00:03:06,416 --> 00:03:08,958 had been poured on them and they happened to be in the sewers in 40 00:03:09,018 --> 00:03:13,821 New York and got rescued by a rat and the rat became their 41 00:03:13,881 --> 00:03:18,183 parent and taught them ninja skills and they basically went 42 00:03:18,244 --> 00:03:22,066 out into the streets and became these kind of vigilante heroes. 43 00:03:23,046 --> 00:03:24,888 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Kids' fascination was street fighting 44 00:03:24,928 --> 00:03:29,533 turtles... translates into a spike in demand for the animals 45 00:03:29,573 --> 00:03:30,213 as pets. 46 00:03:33,714 --> 00:03:37,375 SUZIE SIMPSON: The 80s and 90s, there were millions of baby 47 00:03:37,475 --> 00:03:41,776 hatchlings that were being imported. And so, yes, it seems 48 00:03:41,816 --> 00:03:45,497 to be linked in with that kind of popularity or that craze 49 00:03:45,517 --> 00:03:46,217 around that time. 50 00:03:46,917 --> 00:03:49,278 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Wild Tales producer Michelle and her sister 51 00:03:49,418 --> 00:03:51,639 were among the many kids who hit the pet shop. 52 00:03:54,379 --> 00:03:56,664 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: We were walking around the tanks. And we 53 00:03:56,804 --> 00:04:02,288 saw this tank full of these really cute, tiny turtles or 54 00:04:02,368 --> 00:04:03,169 Terrapins. 55 00:04:04,169 --> 00:04:06,331 The size of them was so small they could fit in the palm of 56 00:04:06,332 --> 00:04:09,393 your hand. And the one that we had our eye on was called a 57 00:04:09,433 --> 00:04:14,136 red-eared terrapin. And these really pretty red markings on 58 00:04:14,137 --> 00:04:16,137 the sides of their heads. 59 00:04:17,018 --> 00:04:20,080 And I think my parents thought it would be a bit like getting a 60 00:04:20,140 --> 00:04:20,460 fish. 61 00:04:20,961 --> 00:04:23,402 This was Pre-Google. Maybe you should have asked the shopkeeper 62 00:04:23,403 --> 00:04:24,343 a few more questions. 63 00:04:24,403 --> 00:04:28,281 But we collected this terrapin. We called her Elliot and we took 64 00:04:28,301 --> 00:04:30,761 her home and put her in a tank in our bedroom. 65 00:04:31,942 --> 00:04:36,763 Elliot always looked very pretty, but she was quite a 66 00:04:36,823 --> 00:04:39,124 grumpy kind of terrapin. 67 00:04:39,824 --> 00:04:44,585 It was quite hard to stroke her, but we still loved Elliot. She 68 00:04:44,685 --> 00:04:48,266 was very cool and a big feature in our bedroom growing up in the 69 00:04:48,686 --> 00:04:49,266 90s for sure. 70 00:04:50,427 --> 00:04:52,447 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Terrapins, red-eared sliders and 71 00:04:52,487 --> 00:04:55,688 yellow-bellied sliders are especially popular pets because 72 00:04:55,689 --> 00:04:56,969 of their colourful markings. 73 00:04:57,670 --> 00:05:01,593 The term terrapin is what we in the UK use to mean freshwater 74 00:05:01,633 --> 00:05:05,947 turtle species. Suzie takes us for a moment and went to the 75 00:05:05,987 --> 00:05:09,369 wetlands and swamps of the US to meet these Terrapins in their 76 00:05:09,489 --> 00:05:10,410 natural habitat. 77 00:05:10,770 --> 00:05:13,832 SUZIE SIMPSON: These animals' native range is in the States, 78 00:05:14,032 --> 00:05:17,254 so sort of southeasterly, the eastern parts of the States. 79 00:05:17,754 --> 00:05:22,577 Their natural behaviours, they will normally come out in the 80 00:05:22,617 --> 00:05:25,558 morning and they will bask when it gets nice and warm. 81 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:28,420 They rely on the external environment to heat up. 82 00:05:28,460 --> 00:05:32,242 They're not like us. And that will occur mainly from spring 83 00:05:32,362 --> 00:05:36,625 through to autumn time and then when it gets to winter time they 84 00:05:36,725 --> 00:05:40,527 all tend to go down and brumate which means that they just slow 85 00:05:40,587 --> 00:05:44,830 down their body they just stay under the water and kind of wait 86 00:05:44,970 --> 00:05:48,652 out the colder period until they come back out in spring again. 87 00:05:48,652 --> 00:05:51,894 And they're beautiful they're carapace you know their shell 88 00:05:52,274 --> 00:05:55,476 their protective shell and what they can do and how they go 89 00:05:55,636 --> 00:05:58,678 under you know during brumation during winter and they're able 90 00:05:58,718 --> 00:06:01,071 to breathe underwater like that. 91 00:06:01,111 --> 00:06:02,512 They're just incredible creatures. 92 00:06:03,713 --> 00:06:06,335 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Back in UK homes, pet owners are having 93 00:06:06,395 --> 00:06:11,620 problems. Terrapins grow from 50 pence piece size to dinner plate 94 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:16,524 size and they can live for over 40 years, meaning lots of pet 95 00:06:16,624 --> 00:06:18,425 owners are well out of their depth. 96 00:06:19,666 --> 00:06:22,228 SUZIE SIMPSON: Then how do you keep an animal that size? 97 00:06:22,588 --> 00:06:26,612 They need big space, a bout of space for swimming, so large 98 00:06:26,732 --> 00:06:29,114 area with a pool to be able to swim. 99 00:06:29,778 --> 00:06:33,879 They need to be able to come out and bask on a platform under UV 100 00:06:34,079 --> 00:06:35,640 bulbs and basking lights. 101 00:06:35,700 --> 00:06:39,641 So the complexity comes in later when they get a lot bigger and 102 00:06:39,642 --> 00:06:42,502 that's when people realise that that wasn't a good idea, maybe. 103 00:06:44,422 --> 00:06:47,123 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: So Elliot got so big that my dad ended up 104 00:06:47,183 --> 00:06:51,424 converting her into a bigger tank and made this terrain for 105 00:06:51,464 --> 00:06:53,745 her where she could crawl out and bask in the sun. 106 00:06:54,285 --> 00:06:56,686 My sister and I shared a room so the terrapin could have a room 107 00:06:56,706 --> 00:06:59,848 to itself. She even jumped out of the tank a couple of times 108 00:06:59,849 --> 00:07:02,790 and ended up in the washing pile because she was just getting far 109 00:07:02,830 --> 00:07:04,110 too big for her terrain. 110 00:07:08,093 --> 00:07:10,034 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: People start to look for ways to relieve 111 00:07:10,054 --> 00:07:12,836 themselves of their large, long-lived pets. 112 00:07:13,657 --> 00:07:17,419 Some people give their pets to rescue sanctuaries, while some 113 00:07:17,740 --> 00:07:21,262 illegally release Terrapins into lakes, canals and rivers. 114 00:07:22,663 --> 00:07:24,945 SUZIE SIMPSON: We've had people report that they've seen people 115 00:07:25,405 --> 00:07:29,827 literally walk down to the lake, open up a carrier and just pour 116 00:07:29,827 --> 00:07:30,627 them... 117 00:07:30,627 --> 00:07:33,208 Literally pour the turtle into the water. 118 00:07:34,008 --> 00:07:37,449 They're in canals and lakes and rivers and all sorts. 119 00:07:37,569 --> 00:07:41,390 If anybody releases a pet into the wild, you risk passing on 120 00:07:41,450 --> 00:07:46,692 diseases and that animal itself could die or become injured so 121 00:07:46,792 --> 00:07:48,933 actually there's a lot of issues with that. 122 00:07:50,273 --> 00:07:51,874 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: These Terrapins are classed as 123 00:07:51,894 --> 00:07:54,715 invasive species. Meaning animals that have been 124 00:07:54,795 --> 00:07:58,818 introduced by people into an ecosystem and could be having a 125 00:07:58,878 --> 00:08:02,221 negative impact like spreading disease and out-competing native 126 00:08:02,241 --> 00:08:02,802 species. 127 00:08:04,323 --> 00:08:08,026 Suzie Simpson's work at Turtle Tally UK is a citizen science 128 00:08:08,066 --> 00:08:11,409 project asking people to send in their sightings to help build a 129 00:08:11,469 --> 00:08:14,711 better understanding of these non-native species in our 130 00:08:14,751 --> 00:08:15,432 waterways. 131 00:08:16,353 --> 00:08:20,236 SUZIE SIMPSON: It's a survey that we run online for the 132 00:08:20,256 --> 00:08:24,594 public to submit sightings of released pets, freshwater 133 00:08:24,614 --> 00:08:25,075 turtles. 134 00:08:25,575 --> 00:08:27,455 There are a few things that we just confirmed. 135 00:08:28,135 --> 00:08:30,856 The red-eared sliders and the yellow-bellied sliders, we find 136 00:08:30,976 --> 00:08:32,857 there are lots of these animals out there. 137 00:08:33,337 --> 00:08:37,158 London's our biggest hotspot for finding these turtles. So it's 138 00:08:37,198 --> 00:08:40,279 highly urbanised, lots of buildings, lots of people living 139 00:08:40,339 --> 00:08:40,559 there. 140 00:08:40,639 --> 00:08:43,360 So the chances are we've got a lot more pet owners. 141 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,521 At the moment, we don't believe that they're breeding either 142 00:08:47,621 --> 00:08:50,842 because our weather, our conditions here in the UK just 143 00:08:51,726 --> 00:08:54,869 are not appropriate for them to hatch out young. It's not hot 144 00:08:54,929 --> 00:08:55,809 enough for long enough. 145 00:08:56,510 --> 00:08:59,753 So I don't think we have thriving populations here. I 146 00:08:59,773 --> 00:09:02,715 think what is happening is these animals are being released into 147 00:09:02,716 --> 00:09:03,576 the waterways. 148 00:09:04,236 --> 00:09:08,800 And as a result, each year, if they survive another year, then 149 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,403 they survive another year but if they don't, then we've actually 150 00:09:12,443 --> 00:09:14,885 got a naturally dying off population. 151 00:09:16,426 --> 00:09:19,048 We're more concerned about soft shells and common snapping 152 00:09:19,108 --> 00:09:22,491 turtles. And these animals are a lot bigger than the red-eared 153 00:09:22,571 --> 00:09:26,012 sliders but we don't get a lot of reports of those. 154 00:09:26,853 --> 00:09:29,714 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: So Susie's work suggests in the UK invasive 155 00:09:29,734 --> 00:09:32,655 Terrapins impact is limited because they're unlikely to 156 00:09:32,695 --> 00:09:34,896 breed in our cooler weather. 157 00:09:34,896 --> 00:09:39,378 But in continental Europe invasive Terrapins are much more 158 00:09:39,398 --> 00:09:39,978 of a problem. 159 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:44,080 SUZIE SIMPSON: They can out-compete native species for 160 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,202 example in Europe we actually have the European pond turtle 161 00:09:48,758 --> 00:09:53,083 and this animal is at risk and is threatened and so actually 162 00:09:53,723 --> 00:09:57,527 these introduced pets out-compete the native pond 163 00:09:57,547 --> 00:10:01,972 turtles and it causes them to not use the basking spots so 164 00:10:02,092 --> 00:10:03,333 they lose body condition. 165 00:10:03,894 --> 00:10:07,077 There are lots of aspects that actually affect the native 166 00:10:07,137 --> 00:10:07,658 species. 167 00:10:08,743 --> 00:10:12,045 And then obviously if they breed, if the climate is right, 168 00:10:12,105 --> 00:10:16,327 so in Europe and further afield, if it's warm enough for the eggs 169 00:10:16,328 --> 00:10:19,089 to hatch out and they're able to have a thriving population, then 170 00:10:19,529 --> 00:10:23,991 they'll be eating more different species, plants, animals. 171 00:10:27,193 --> 00:10:29,194 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: Through the 90s, it's recognised that the 172 00:10:29,234 --> 00:10:32,796 international trade in Terrapins is causing a widespread invasive 173 00:10:32,836 --> 00:10:33,656 species problem. 174 00:10:33,657 --> 00:10:38,799 In 1997, the UK and other European countries ban the 175 00:10:38,839 --> 00:10:40,981 import of red-eared sliders as pets. 176 00:10:42,122 --> 00:10:45,064 Since these are the most in-demand species, the ban helps 177 00:10:45,065 --> 00:10:47,826 to bring an end to the turtle mania pet craze. 178 00:10:48,766 --> 00:10:51,848 What can we learn from the tale of the teenage mutant ninja 179 00:10:51,928 --> 00:10:53,129 turtle pet invasion? 180 00:10:54,070 --> 00:10:55,931 SUZIE SIMPSON: I would definitely say turtles are not 181 00:10:56,271 --> 00:10:58,173 an appropriate pet for a lot of people. 182 00:10:59,013 --> 00:11:02,235 Please don't put animals out into the wild if they're not 183 00:11:02,275 --> 00:11:04,717 supposed to be there, then they shouldn't be released out into 184 00:11:04,737 --> 00:11:05,197 the wild. 185 00:11:05,257 --> 00:11:09,336 Find rehoming services, sanctuaries, they will be able 186 00:11:09,337 --> 00:11:10,917 to help you and provide guidance. 187 00:11:11,578 --> 00:11:15,441 I think there's something with the responsibility to some of 188 00:11:15,481 --> 00:11:18,783 these production crews and TV and films. 189 00:11:18,943 --> 00:11:21,785 Kids sort of see these animals and they get really excited 190 00:11:21,825 --> 00:11:25,247 about them. There's something there in being responsible about 191 00:11:25,307 --> 00:11:25,568 that. 192 00:11:26,748 --> 00:11:30,791 We work with pet shop owners so they're also trying their best 193 00:11:30,871 --> 00:11:32,773 to educate people when they come in. 194 00:11:33,213 --> 00:11:37,016 Some of them won't sell them at all and some will only sell them 195 00:11:37,017 --> 00:11:39,618 at certain times of the year, won't sell them around when the 196 00:11:39,698 --> 00:11:41,299 film or TV releases are. 197 00:11:41,759 --> 00:11:44,942 We're on a good trajectory for getting that awareness out 198 00:11:44,982 --> 00:11:45,282 there. 199 00:11:47,364 --> 00:11:50,586 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: My parents ended up taking her to a 200 00:11:50,646 --> 00:11:56,851 terrapin sanctuary and a lot of pet owners like us just hadn't 201 00:11:56,891 --> 00:11:59,493 realised quite how much it would be to take this turtle on. 202 00:12:00,013 --> 00:12:04,100 So I do feel bad about that. But I like to think that Elliot's 203 00:12:04,140 --> 00:12:06,721 still out there with all her little terrapin friends swimming 204 00:12:06,761 --> 00:12:08,102 around in their sanctuary. 205 00:12:10,584 --> 00:12:13,085 ROSIE HOLDSWORTH: As for turtles and Terrapins, these beautiful 206 00:12:13,145 --> 00:12:16,407 animals with their patterned shells and slow, smooth 207 00:12:16,487 --> 00:12:19,869 movements capture our imaginations, even when they're 208 00:12:19,870 --> 00:12:22,231 depicted wearing ninja masks and eating pizza. 209 00:12:22,711 --> 00:12:25,813 But we need to remind ourselves to put the animal first. 210 00:12:26,113 --> 00:12:28,975 You might even say, Turtle power! 211 00:12:33,843 --> 00:12:37,144 Thanks for listening to this episode of Wild Tales. Look out 212 00:12:37,145 --> 00:12:38,685 for Terrapins in waterways. 213 00:12:38,905 --> 00:12:41,765 In my patch in Yorkshire, us rangers have been enjoying 214 00:12:41,825 --> 00:12:44,866 spotting our long-time resident Terry The Terrapin this spring. 215 00:12:45,786 --> 00:12:48,707 And if you do spot your own terrapin, head to the Turtle 216 00:12:48,727 --> 00:12:52,628 Tally UK Citizen Science Project and let Susie know all about it. 217 00:12:53,609 --> 00:12:58,330 For more Wild Tales action, head to @wildtalesnt on Instagram and 218 00:12:58,450 --> 00:13:00,651 share your own stories with us with hashtag 219 00:13:00,731 --> 00:13:03,676 #wildtaleswednesday. See you next time.