The police station treats 8424 watermelons, and the national second level protected wild animal, the Sukada tortoise, has been rescued in Shanghai. Expert | Turtle | Shanghai
"Look, it's willing to eat watermelon!" In the courtyard of the police station, a "giant turtle" larger than winter melon is eating Nanhui's specialty 8424 watermelon in large bites. "I didn't eat anything all afternoon, and now I finally spoke up," the policewoman said happily while feeding.
The turtle was rescued and fed watermelon. Image provided by Pudong Public Security Bureau in this article
On July 22, 2023, the Sunqiao Police Station of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau received a request for help from residents, stating that a large turtle had arrived at their doorstep, as if it were a protected animal. They refused to feed it meat and could not move it. After arriving at the scene, the police found that the large turtle foot was over 50 centimeters long, with thick limbs, and the head had been hiding inside the turtle shell, as if frightened. The police immediately contacted the Shanghai Zoo and brought the giant turtle back to their place of care.
Sukada tortoises are native to Africa
According to animal experts, this is a Sukada tortoise, a purely vegetarian animal native to Africa. It can grow up to 80 centimeters in length and weigh 100 kilograms at most. It is currently listed on the Red List of Threatened Species by the World Conservation Union and is classified as a second level wild protected animal.
Having learned about the dietary characteristics of turtles, police officer Zhang Yuesi specially bought two watermelons to try feeding the turtles. On the way back to the station just now, the tortoise appeared very shy as it was huddled inside the turtle shell in the passenger seat. The vegetables that the female police officer later fed to the tortoise were also kept silent. As soon as he saw the watermelon, he immediately took a big bite and started eating it.
Shanghai Zoo Receipt Form
Shortly thereafter, experts from the Shanghai Zoo rushed to the police station. After further examination, it was found that the Sukada tortoise had no injuries and was in good mental condition. Currently, the tortoise has been transferred to the Shanghai Wildlife Conservation Center for targeted rescue. Police reminder: If injured or trapped wild animals are found, they should be promptly reported to the police or contact the wildlife protection department.
