A TERRAPIN made a shock appearance on an industrial estate.

The 20-year-old female yellow-bellied slider, was found abandoned on the Granby Industrial Estate in Weymouth.

She was taken to Weymouth Sea Life Park where staff discovered she was overweight.

They believe the creature, nick-named Georgie Porgie because of her size, had been someone’s pet and had was overfed.

They think she had been abandoned for a while because of the build-up of algae on her shell.

Animal care staff carried out a health check and scan to see if she had been micro-chipped before slowly acclimatising her into the quarantine tank.

Aquarist Lauren Timson said it was a rare occasion but not an uncommon sight: “Unfortunately from time to time we do have abandoned terrapins turn up which is really sad as some of them can be really stressed and in a bad condition.

“After the success of the last Ninja Turtles film, sales of terrapins rose by about 20 percent but sadly many people are misinformed about the care these reptiles require, their breed and the size they will eventually reach.”

Due to the launch of the new film on October 17, Weymouth Sea Life Park has a campaign planned to educate guests about the impact of owning terrapins as pets, along with learning about the personalities of each one at the Turtle Sanctuary that were once all somebody’s pet.

The Turtle Sanctuary opened at Weymouth Sea Life Park in 2010 due to the sheer volume of abandoned terrapins in the area, along with reptiles from customs throughout the UK living in the quarantine areas.

Weymouth Sea Life Park has reached capacity for taking in abandoned terrapins but will always do their best to help a ‘turtle in need.’ It is illegal in the UK to release a non-native species into the wild and now some animal rescue organisations will actually euthanise terrapins due to their adverse effect on wildlife and birds.

For now, Georgie Porgie is safe and recovering at the park where she will remain and eventually go onto display for everyone to see.