University of Regina researchers and Wascana Centre Authority are pleading with the public to not release their pets into the wild. The plea comes after the researchers discovered red-eared sliders living in Wascana Lake. The turtles are popular pets but they are not native to this part of the world. “We’ve found evidence of multiple sliders in Wascana,” says U of R Biology student and researcher Kelsey Marchand who is part of a team conducting research into the Western Painted Turtle, which is native to Saskatchewan. “Released pets harbour bacteria and diseases that native turtles cannot defend themselves against. Also, pet turtles may not have what it takes to survive in Saskatchewan, so releasing them is actually cruel.”