Terrapin Rescue at Southampton Water Supply Works

One of the biggest terrapins re-homed at Raystede Animal Sanctuary

A red-eared terrapin has been rescued by a Southern Water Ecologist at one of its river extraction sites within the Testwood Water Supply Works, in Southampton.

“I saw the terrapin sunning itself at the edge of one of the water points. I reached over and picked it up and the terrapin didn’t struggle at all. I kept it in my bath at home while I found an animal charity that would agree to rehome it. The terrapin was around about the size of a large dinner plate, weighed around 5 kilograms and was around 25cm long. My children loved having him at home and named him Terry.”
Tom Alexander
Senior Ecologist at Southern Water

“Terrapins are often bought as pets as they are small and relatively cheap but there is woefully little information about how to keep them. Many owners do not realise that terrapins grow into very large adults!

We identified this particular terrapin as female and renamed her ‘Terri’. Terri is one of our biggest terrapin residents! She spent some time in our isolation unit, being closely monitored by our Small Animal Team. She has now been placed into our large, new terrapin sanctuary just in time for hibernation season. All our terrapins will live permanently at Raystede and Terri and her friends will live out their years happily here with us.”

Amelia Thomas
Rehoming Manager at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare

You can view more information on the Project Terrapin - Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare.

It is estimated there are currently over 4,000 terrapins living in the wild in the UK, mainly in London where the human population is dense, and more terrapin owners live.

The red-eared terrapin, Trachemys scripta elegans, is native to southern North America. It is a popular pet and an invasive species in many places.

Nine water companies, including Southern Water, are part of the Aquatic Biosecurity Partnership. The programme tackles invasive non-native species and helps protect the UK environment. The nine water companies have invested £125k per annum for five years from 2020-2025.