Surprise on Passeig: Turtle Swimming in Torrent de sa Riera

An Unexpected Visitor on Passeig Mallorca

At midday, shortly after 1 PM, today along Passeig Mallorca many a walker paused — not because of the light or the view of the cathedral, but because of a small turtle leisurely paddling in the water of the Torrent de sa Riera. Who else takes selfies and feeds pigeons suddenly held up their smartphones, because: animals always attract attention.

A woman with shopping bags cried: "Look, that doesn't belong here!" A boy eagerly pointed to the shell; an older man with a straw hat shook his head and half-joked that someone had probably played their pet film wrongly. The mood was more curious than panicked.

Found, secured, handed over

A few passersby worked together, fished the turtle carefully out of the shallow part of the torrent and placed it in a bowl with fresh water. Nobody wanted to leave the animal alone. After a brief discussion, they called a local animal welfare organization, which arrived shortly after and took the reptile for examination. It is believed the turtle was kept as a pet and then dumped — unfortunately not uncommon.

Brief retrospective: A few weeks ago residents noticed the water in the torrent was unusually bright blue — at the time there were explanations from the municipal services after cleaning operations. Today the water was clearer again, but saltier than one would think: the tunnel water at Passeig has brackish influences in places, which can be burdensome for some freshwater turtles.

What remains? A small animal saved, many photos taken, and once again the reminder that pets are not disposable objects. For anyone in Palma: keep eyes open and, when finding animals, inform professionals rather than handling matters yourself. The volunteers who helped today left afterwards with coffee and a lot of good mood — and the turtle, we hope, soon received the necessary care.

If you suspect abandoned animals, please report it to the local animal welfare group or the Policía Local.