Somewhere in a nearby North Shore pond swims a silver turtle. Maybe. The huge snapper was as silver as the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz when Diane Treadwell got a call from the New England Aquarium last summer. Diane volunteers for the aquarium. Her regular job is Swampscott's animal control officer. It was a Sunday and Diane was called out of town for this rescue, a strange one born of a cruel amusement. The big snapper was in a Revere yard, as shiny as a dime in the sun. Someone had spray painted the turtle from head to tail, though, fortunately, he had no paint in his eyes or nostrils. …

  Swampscott Animal Control Officer Diane Treadwell is not fond of arachnids but she has been getting use to caring for the tarantula found Monday at the Swampscott Cemetery. So far she has received one inquiry from a person interested in adopting the tarantula, which she has nicknamed Harry Houdini. That call was a phone message left from an ASPCA representative who is interested in having Harry shipped to their location. Harry is eating well and got a bath of sorts on Monday night — a misting, mist sprayed from a bottle of water, said the animal control officer. A few more details have …

  How it got there is a mystery but the tarantula got there — the Swampscott Cemetery. Swampscott Animal Control Officer Diane Treadwell got a call from police around 9:30 am Monday saying they had a tarantula at the station — and would she come take care of it. A Department of Public Works crew had found the hairy-legged bugger at the cemetery and put it in a container and dropped it off at the police station. The animal control officer hauled away the eight-legged arachnid in a glass container with a very secure plastic wrap on the top, holes punched for air but not large enough for escape…

  The baby sparrow beat its wings in the Swampscott animal control officer's cupped palms Friday. The fledgling was about 16 days old and will soon be released into the wild. For a few days it will get the hotel treatment, being cared for at the Marblehead animal shelter. About this time of year animal control typically gets a lot of calls about baby birds found on the ground. Last week they responded to calls about grounded baby sparrows, a grackle, a blue jay and barn swallows. They feed them meal worms and other special foods and then give them a soft release. A cage is kept near the …