Auckland Council is banning the sale of a certain pet turtle in an attempt to stop the spread of the species in the wild.
The red-eared slider turtle has been labelled one of the world's worst invasive species, and they're becoming an increasing issue in Aotearoa as unprepared pet owners dump them in local lakes.
While the animals make lovely pets, they're becoming a huge problem.
"Now that we know how widespread they are, and how many there are in the wild, it's becoming more of a concern," Waikato University Associate Professor Nick Ling.
The turtles can live for up to 50 years and produce around 400 offspring.
"Up until very recently we didn't think they were able to breed in New Zealand, we didn't think the temperature was warm enough for successful breeding but we now know that's not the case," he adds.
The turtles are natives of America's southern states and Mexico, but global warming is making New Zealand a comfortable home for them.
There have been more than 80 reported sightings of red-eared slider turtles across the country from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
What people don't realise when they go to buy a new turtle from the pet store is that when they first buy them, they're lovely and cute, but within a few years, they well outgrow an at-home aquarium and that's where they become a problem.
In an attempt to stop pet turtles from being dumped in lakes like Western Springs, Auckland Council has decided to cut off the supply at its source and stop red eared sliders from being sold in pet stores from September.
"Possums is a classic example, released into New Zealand over 100 years ago and we're still picking up the pieces from that mess so that's something we want to avoid doing again," says Dr Imogen Bassett, principal advisor of biosecurity at Auckland Council.
There is currently no national plan on how to manage these pests and Bassett says it's time to start thinking about proactive pest control.
"We could do well to be removing that threat while we still have the chance," she says.
Ling is creating a test to make it easier to track the turtles. Soon scientists will be able to take a water sample from a river or lake and tell whether red eared sliders are living there.
In the meantime, he has one piece of advice: "If you have an unwanted pet, for God's sake don't let it go, don't dump it in the wild."
Because it could come back to bite us.
