Turtles tuck into kebabs after The Deep's Amazon critters make off with their food

THEY might not be the quickest creatures, but turtles are enjoying their own fast food at The Deep.

The four amphibians, the aquarium's newest residents from Bristol Zoo, are dining on vegetarian kebabs to keep them healthy.

The specially designed gourmet treats have been created by The Deep's aquarist team after their food was being stolen by other creatures in the tank.

But now, the two Amazon yellow spotted river turtles and two Geoffroy's side-necked turtles are enjoying their food undisturbed.

Emma Haines, The Deep's reptile specialist, said: "It is crucial that our Amazon turtles receive a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables.

"We found that some of the other inhabitants of the Amazon Flooded Forest tank were also enjoying the turtle food so we had to come up with a way that would ensure they could eat undisturbed.

"We had the idea of threading their food onto cable ties which we could then be presented to them on their basking island above the tank, so they can munch their lunch undisturbed."

Emma prepares the kebabs behind the scenes in The Deep's kitchen.

The tasty treats feature all the river turtle's favourite foods including melon, grapes, baby sweetcorn, carrots, peppers and tomatoes.

These turtles join a whole host of life already at home in the display including silver arowana, ripsaw catfish, motoro stingray, tiger shovelnose catfish and pacu.

Turtles are an ancient species that have been around for 250 million years, yet in the last 30 years human exploitation has resulted in the extinction of many species with many more in immediate danger. They are threatened with over-fishing for food and for their supposed medical value as well as the destruction of their habitats.

The Amazon Flooded Forest exhibit looks at the flooded forests which annually receive over 9m of rain in just three months.

As a result the Amazon quickly bursts its banks and floods the surrounding area. These areas are incredibly diverse yet vulnerable environments which become home to a huge range of species, including turtles.

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