Weird turtles, bullfrogs rescued from Queens park

Three softshell turtles and 50 American bullfrogs were rescued by park rangers from Flushing Meadows Corona Park last week.  Photo via the New York City Parks Department/Twitter

By Jacob Kaye

The Parks Department leaped to the rescue of 50 bullfrogs and a trio of turtles that had been left for dead at a lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park last week.

The American bullfrogs and softshell turtles were found and removed from Meadow Lake by a group of Urban Park Rangers who had been notified of the abandoned pets by parkgoers, the Parks Department said.

The water-loving animals are believed to have been dumped in the park, an illegal act that is currently under investigation by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

“We love that this story has a happy ending, but this is a perfect opportunity to remind all New Yorkers that dumping domestic animals in a New York City park is illegal,” a spokesperson for the Parks Department told the Eagle. “We ask that patrons that observe abandoned or endangered animals in parks call 311.”

Though the adventure into the mild wild may have been exciting for the creatures, they likely wouldn't have survived in the new habitat – they also could have disrupted the natural ecosystem.

The frogs and odd looking turtles, both of which are native to North America, were taken to the Brooklyn Animal Care Center.

Nearly two dozen snakehead fish, which were also discovered during the rescue mission, met a different fate. The highly invasive fish, which sometimes move short distances on land, were plucked from the water and “disposed of,” according to the Parks Department.