A stray terrapin has been found abandoned in Kirkintilloch prompting an appeal to trace its owners.
Christopher Dodds discovered the tropical creature around 2.15pm on Friday near a canal as he was walking to the gym.
After first mistaking the creature for a rock, he then discovered that it was in fact a terrapin that was visibly distressed and freezing in the harsh weather conditions, reports the Daily Record.
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Christopher said: "It looked in a bad state. I'm not sure if it had been attacked by an animal or came from the nearby housing estate.
"I picked it up and it was freezing and refused to come out of its shell. Its eyes weren't very reactive and its flippers were quite limp. I carried it up to Martin's vets in Kirkintilloch. They took it inside and helped to heat him up."
He added: "Looks like he has been abandoned."
Christopher took to social media in an effort to trace the Terrapin's owner but was forced to hand the reptile to the SSPCA after no one came forward.
A Scottish SPCA spokesperson said: ‘On Friday 4 February, a member of the public handed a stray terrapin into a local vet.
‘They contacted us and one of our animal rescue officer’s picked the terrapin up. The terrapin is now being looked after at our rescue centre in Dunbartonshire".
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