Dear Lida:
Here's another outlook...LOL
I just posted a short video of a snapping turtle...LOL..on CNN i Report, which was vetted by CNN after they e mailed me. You can watch it here if you have time. Actually, if you get a video camera, and can video the catch and release of your turtle, it might make a great news report to upload to Cable News Network CNN i-Report. so keep that in mind. https://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-623133
I don't know if your pond is the kind your create artificially in your yard, that cost you a lot of money to create and maintain, or if it is a natural pond like I have in my wooded area out back, which may influence your feelings about it.
But you could look at this snapping turtle as PART OF YOUR POND'S ECOSYSTEM. First of all, if the food gets skimpy in your pond, meaning most of the fish have been eaten, the snapper will most likely leave to move on to greener pastures.
But I'm thinking of my three, 4 pound bird feeders, and all of the birds that come to my rural house in Maine near the Canadian border to have a bite. However, with all the birds that come to feed are the avian version of SNAPPERS, meaning hawks and eagles that prey on the other birds who are coming to eat. Therefore, you might see this snapper as part of your pond's natural ecosystem, instead of an interloper. In any case, some video of your snapper might be fun to share on CNN i-Report or YouTube?
During my first year here, being from New Jersey in an apartment complex, I walked out to the pond and saw a bundle of sticks, and was kind of irked that someone was harvesting on my property. Then, I saw a huge, freshwater clam, sitting near the sticks. Then I noticed the sticks were gnawed, and not cut, and had a good laugh. My interlopers were beaver...LOL..and it was probably a raccoon I interrupted, about to enjoy his meal. Sometimes the wild animals we think are, "NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE", are actually in their home environment, and IT IS WE WHO ARE THE INTERLOPERS. Roger in Maine.
