TEMPE, AZ (CBS5) -
It's turtle trapping season at the Phoenix Zoo and Papago Park.
Today, biologists worked to remove non-native turtles from the waters in the area.
Zookeepers said they are looking for turtles that were once pets. Owners release them into Papago Park Pond after their owners no longer want to care for them, but these pets pose a danger to the native turtles in the area.
"Non-native species that are brought into Arizona or pets that people release, whether they're snakes or turtles, can damage our wild populations of animals that are supposed to be here," said Lynda Lambert with Arizona Game and Fish.
Wildlife officials said the non-native animals often take resources from the native populations, making it difficult for them to survive.
The turtle catch has become a yearly event that has captured nearly 700 turtles since they began more than ten years ago.
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