In 2001, NaturOparC created a Florida turtle recovery basin. Imported and sold in pet stores in Europe by the millions in the 1970s as pets, they have become "bulky" for their owners, reaching 30cm in adulthood.
Many individuals therefore preferred to release their animals in the bodies of water in Europe, not thinking of the catastrophic impact of their gesture. Its arrival is an additional threat to the European Pond Turtle, not only through food competition but also for the best places of sunshine, a key area for the survival of "cold-blooded" species.
Since 2005, NaturOparC has already recovered several hundred turtles, thus preventing them from being released into the wild.