KANNUR: Responding to Keralakaumudi's news on the ill effect of American turtles on the aquatic ecosystem, minister K Raju said action will be taken to get rid of the turtles. Directions have been given to forest and wildlife officers, he said.

"Need to find the source of American turtles that adversely affect the habitat of our turtles. Directions have been given for the same", minister Raju said.

These turtles are brought by those coming from abroad as part of home decoration and apparently discarded to rivers later. The same is done by pet shops. These turtles contaminate water and carry Salmonella bacteria that cause intestinal problems in humans.

Red-eared slider turtles are found in the USA and Mexico. The import of this turtle is banned in many nations in Europe. For public health safety, the domestication of this animal is banned in the US.