Photo Gallery Searching for Lotti the Phantom Turtle
Last week's events have Irsee's 1,400-strong local community up in arms. An eight-year-old boy was injured at a nearby lake, suffering a severed Achilles tendon. Experts believe that the injury was caused by an alligator snapping turtle.
A local landscaper offers his help. He is cutting underbrush on the grounds surrounding the lake in an attempt to find Lotti.
Though no one has actually set eyes on the reptile, it is very likely that the boy's injury was caused by an alligator snapping turtle.
Many things in the village have changed since the incident took place: The lake has been drained and the surrounding grounds fenced off.
This recently erected signs read: "Watch out! Please do not enter the lakefront due to snapping turtle!"
Self-declared reptile experts gathered at the scene in an attempt to impart their knowledge on the search committee about the best ways to capture a reptile.
It is likely that the naturally-sluggish turtle has been hiding from the crowds. Though the species is not aggressive, the alligator snapping turtle acts out when it feels threatened.
Intense efforts to capture the turtle have all been unsuccessful.
The boy's stab-like injuries look as though they are compatible with the lower jaw of an alligator snapping turtle.
The lake's other inhabitants were temporarily relocated to a nearby pond.
Some locals are able to see the incident in a humorous light -- a local restaurant owner has put "freshly-caught turtles" on the menu.
