Terrapins that can bite off a child's finger are being dumped in the Lake District by owners who don't realise how big they grow

• Creatures can bite legs off ducks - there are fears they'll move onto other
• Experts believe they could be a threat to youngsters and other wildlife
• They're being dumped by owners as they grow too large and costly to keep

The humble turtle is known to many as a cute family pet munching its way through greens as it slowly ambles through the day. 

But parents in the Lake District have been warned to look after their children after turtles and terrapins capable of 'biting the fingers off' of young children were dumped in a river. 

The snapping creatures can bite the legs off ducks and there are fears the animals, which ‘will eat anything that moves,’ could be a threat to youngsters and other wildlife.

Terry Bowes, director of Wetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Centre in Cumbria, said the reptiles are being dumped by owners after they grow to a large size and become costly to keep.

He said: ‘The problem is both the number being dumped, as well as the way they devastate the wildlife. They are carnivores. They will eat anything that moves.

‘If you have kids paddling in a river the turtles could easily snap off a toe or a finger. They can become quite aggressive when they have grown.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2386311/Terrapins-bite-childs-finger-dumped-Lake-District-owners-dont-realise-big-grow.html#ixzz2bTKGp6Uc

The dangers of working in conservation - And how vital it is to carry on in times of danger

The Sahara Conservation Fund continues its work across the Sahara despite the dangers

April 2013. Working in one of the world's harshest environments to save some of the world's rarest wildlife in the world's largest desert is a challenge at the best of times, and one that the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) has undertaken since its launch in 2004. Now however, with wars, uprisings and the influence of Al Qaeda spreading across much of the Sahara and bordering areas, the challenge for the SCF has added dimensions. 

Niger

When SCF first began its signature project in eastern Niger to establish the Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve and to protect some of the world's rarest species, like the addax, dama gazelle and desert cheetah, security was not an issue and one could work safely almost everywhere. 

After a spate of kidnappings in Niger and Mali, however, and then the war in Libya and its aftermath, armed military escorts were deemed a sensible precaution when travelling in the desert and carrying out regular wildlife research, protection and monitoring work. Unfortunately, since the war in Mali began earlier this year, security has further deteriorated and the vast desert area we work in is now strictly forbidden to westerners, with access severely regulated for national staff. 

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/scf-sahel.html