ALTHOUGH turtles for sale might be a common sight in Shenzhen, animal experts have warned residents that releasing these critters into the wild could threaten the local ecological environment because many are invasive species, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

    The report found that most of the turtles sold on the city’s streets are snapping turtles and Brazilian red-eared sliders, two invasive species from the Americas. They are both highly adaptable, reproduce quickly and are strong predators, experts said.

    The Brazilian red-eared slider was first introduced to China in the 1980s. Since then experts have come to regard it as one of the most dangerous invasive species in the world.

    Snapping turtles were introduced to China at some point during the last century and have become a threat to local species.

    Shenzhen Wild Animal Protection Center is in charge of receiving, transferring, rescuing and protecting foreign species seized by customs officials.

    The center and Shenzhen Safari Park are the two principal units that raise invasive animal and plant species in Shenzhen. Both are inspected every month in an effort to keep the animals and plants from spreading.

    (Zhang Yang)