No idea where he/she came from, but just discovered swimming in fish pond. Shell is 7-8" diameter, black face, gold markings. From what I read here, probably your garden-variety snapping turtle, possibly looking for a place to lay eggs.

My pond is 300 gallons, about 2 feet deep, with 9 fish in it, ranging in size from 4-8." I'm in downtown Birmingham AL but a couple blocks from a city park with a stream.

My questions (which I don't find concise answers to anywhere) are:

1) Is this turtle a danger to my fish as either a predator or disease carrier?

2) What, if anything, should I do for this turtle? Is it better to move him/her or just leave alone?

You are probably thinking "well duh - why don't you just scoop the turtle out of the pond and be done with it?" Guess I could, but that just doesn't feel right.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.