20 year old terrapin dies after being dumped on Blackpool beach

The terrapin, which is believed to have been about 20 years old, was found on Blackpool beach by Lyndsay Fieldsend, 42, on February 22.

Lyndsay, of the Trafalgar Hotel on Albert Road, said: “I was walking my dog and happened to be coming up the steps onto the Comedy Carpet and there it was, partially in the water on the bottom step.

“I picked it up and as soon as I did it pulled its head into its shell, so I knew it was still alive.”

She took the terrapin back home, and after struggling to get in touch with the RSPCA she contacted the emergency vets in Lytham.

The following day, the terrapin was picked up by a Liverpool-based reptile rescue, however, it was determined that it was too sick to survive and had to be put down.

Lyndsay said: “A terrapin is a freshwater creature. Obviously it had been in the sea too long and it was too far gone because of the saltwater intake.

“The rescue was all set to put it under a heat lamp and give it vitamins, but it was too late.

“It’s not the first exotic animal that’s been found on the beach, which is obviously horrendous. The last thing an animal needs is to be dumped somewhere where it’s completely defenceless and unable to fend for themselves.

"It's a shame because it was a really beautiful terrapin. I'm a pet lover myself and finding it there on the beach was very sad. If you're not finding dead pigeons or seagulls, you're finding something."

A spokesman for the LOVEmyBEACH eco -friendly group said: “Unfortunately we have had a few different exotic pets on the beach in the last few years. We have a feeling people bring them when they don’t want them any more and don’t know what to do with them.”