Rare Mexican turtles stolen from Dudley Zoo

Two rare turtles have been stolen from their exhibit at Dudley Zoo and Castle.

Keepers discovered the two males missing from their exhibit in the attraction’s Reptile House on Saturday morning (July 1).

The zoo is the only zoo in the country to have the endangered Coahuilan Box Turtles in its care.

The lock on the exhibit was found damaged.

A Dudley Zoo and Castle spokesperson, said: “We believe this to be a targeted theft as we’re the only zoo collection in the country to hold the endangered aquatic species, so we understand how rare they are.

“We are incredibly concerned about their welfare. They’re a small exotic reptile species, native to Mexico, which spends most of the time in the water. They require specialist care and it is essential we get them back.

“The exhibit is accessed from the front public corridor and staff found the lock had been damaged. We’ve launched a full review of security in the Reptile House and have already started installing additional bolts alongside the window locks and will manually staff the area until this work has been completed.”

The turtles are easily identifiable, with one measuring around 15cm long, while the other is slightly bigger at around 17cm in length.

The National Wildlife Crimes Unit alongside West Midlands Police are investigating the theft.