Growing turtle numbers are putting a strain on Aotearoa's biodiversity, prompting fresh calls from the Department of Conservation and Auckland Council to stop dumping the unwanted reptiles into lakes and waterways.
The animals may be small, but often outgrow their owners tolerance.
Department of Conservation freshwater ranger Matthew Brady said the dumped turtles will eat native fish, native birds, and attack ducklings.
They will also eat aquatic plant species and aquatic insects, according to Brady.
Auckland Council, the largest council in the country, banned the sale of red eared slider turtles in 2022, along with several other species.
The council's principal biodiversity advisor Imogen Basset said the restriction is to "prevent this kind of dumping we are seeing of animals getting into the wild, and then causing harm to our ecosystems."
Western Springs is now one of many locations bursting with exotic species.
"We're seeing that, unfortunately, people take on pets that may be they are not really equipped to look after for their whole lifetime.
"They think they are doing the right thing by dumping them out into the wild."
Instead, the animals face serious dangers.
Donna Moot from Turtle Rescue Christchurch told 1News: "They come in here with terrible dog bites, or injuries, or illness because they have been put in our waterways and they are just not meant to be in there."
In Canterbury, it is still legal to buy turtles, and Turtle Rescue shelters 72 of the abandoned animals, and is urging those wishing to get rid of a pet, to contact a rescue.
"The SPCAs will be able to direct them to myself or in Auckland to the North Shore turtle rescue up there, and we will do our best to take in that turtle and rehome it."
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