A Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) in the freshwater gardens on Pier One. There were two last year. Did this one survive the damage done by Sandy or is it yet another illegal introduction? A species of the Southeast, RES fill our fresh waters because of the pet trade, irresponsible pet owners, and an unfortunate Buddhist ritual of releasing turtles for good luck and whatnot. Here’s more detail about that, and about getting a Chinatown temple not to dump turtles to sure death in the East River.
Slider
3 responses to “Slider”
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When I was a kid in South Jersey, we used to hunt turtles in the local lake. It was such a common thing that the hardware store stocked turtle-catching nets. There were three kinds of turtles there: snapping turtles, “blackbacks” (red-eared sliders, though maybe there were some painted ones too), and “greenbacks” (baby red-eared sliders). We thought the blackbacks and greenbacks were different species, especially since we occasionally caught very small blackbacks.
The turtles were put in an enamel dishpan in our backyard, and of course escaped during the night and made their way back to the lake a block away.
These must have been releases from the pet trade, since there was not a large Asian population in the area then.
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My great-grandma had turtle shells in her backyard, by the chicken coop. She caught the turtles in Beaver Creek, 50 feet from her back door, and ate them. Of course, Grandma Lucky was an old Moravian American, matriarch of eight children, then old and looking remarkedly like the witch in “Hansel and Gretel.” Food in the form of turtles was till food. Me? I photograph them in Nebraska parks. In your neck of the woods,it’s nice to see wildlife thriving, even if pet-escaped.
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It was one of those meats a lot more people once ate, I think. The 19th century was one long devouring of diamondback terrapins here in the NYC area.
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Backyard and Beyond 
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