New Canaan Police, Wilton Vet Aid Mead Park Snapping Turtle with Fishhook Caught in Its Mouth

New Canaan Police and a Wilton-based veterinary group this weekend worked together to ensure the safety of a large snapping turtle at Mead Pond that had a fishhook caught in its mouth. At about 12:40 p.m. on Saturday, the police department’s Animal Control section received a flurry of calls regarding a large snapping turtle in the middle of Richmond Hill Road, according to Officer Diane Apicelli. Arriving, Apicelli said she found a crowd gathering around a 33-pound snapping turtle with an 18-inch long shell. Police Officer Dave Rivera was directing motor vehicle traffic around the turtle that clearly had a fishing lure caught in its mouth, according to Apicelli, of the Animal Control section. She crated the turtle and transported the reptile to South Wilton Veterinary Group, which “has a wonderful ‘exotic animal’ veterinarian on staff,” Apicelli said.