Nicknamed Lotti, the turtle bit eight-year-old Andreas' ankle, severing his Achilles tendon, while the child swam in a Bavarian lake.
German website Spiegel Online reports that the local fire department searched in vain for Lotti over the weekend, prompting Mayor Andreas Lieb to drain the lake and offer a generous reward for the turtle's capture.
"Whoever presents me with the turtle alive will get €1,000 ($A 1,458) from the municipal funds," Lieb told the tabloid Bild. But the mayor has warned against approaching the animal saying: "It's enough if the find shows us where the turtle is."
Victim of the turtle attack, Andreas, has asked that if the turtle is found, its captors show mercy.
"Please don't hurt the turtle. It should be taken to a zoo," he said. Snapping turtles, which can grow up to 80 kilograms, are not usually found in Germany, leading authorities to believe it was an exotic pet released into the wild by its owner after it became too large to care for.
The lake will remain empty until next March if the turtle is not found.
