The hunt is still on for the beast of the River Lea (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

The hunt is still on for the beast of the River Lea

1:30pm Friday 19th August 2005 in News By Guardian-series

BAIT is being set to lure the mystery creature, rumoured to be a crocodile, from the depths of the Old River Lea.

New theories have emerged that a giant snapping turtle could be responsible for snatching a Canada goose, and possibly five cygnets and dogs from the river near the borders of Leyton and Stratford.

Mark Gallant, Lea Rivers Trust conservation officer, witnessed the apparent attack on the goose and said a turtle could be a likely suspect.

Capable of growing to around two metres in length and to weights of up to 200lbs, turtles can be bought from internet sites as pets.

Mr Gallant believes that if a turtle is indeed responsible for the attacks it is likely to have been a pet that has been released into the river.

He said: "We are going to try baiting some traps because obviously we can't have a creature that's a top predator preying on our wildlife."

Katy Andrews, a Walthamstow resident, has also been researching the mystery.

Trawling through the internet, Ms Andrews found that snapping turtles had been known to attack Canada geese across the USA.

They are one of only four species of animals known to prey on Canada geese.

Their strong toothless jaws are kept open while hunting, and snap shut on their unfortunate prey.

She said: "The River Lea would fit the description of the turtle's natural habitat perfectly.

"Presumably it's an escaped pet; baby turtles are on offer on some of the websites that I visited."

But she added: "Of course we still have to find the beastie, and if there's more than one then they could be breeding."