Decades-Old Snapping Turtle ‘Bludgeoned’ to Death by Kids with Stones Dies a Month After Being Rescued
Photos of the turtle after its rescueCredit: Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education CenterThe Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center said the kids struck the turtle’s carapace, or top shell
The Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Pennsylvania rescued the injured turtle after children allegedly struck its shell with stones
Rescuers believed the older male turtle had likely lived in the wild for decades
The center notified the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission about the incident and urged parents to teach children to respect wildlife
A Pennsylvania wildlife center is pleading for respect for wildlife after the heartbreaking death of a beloved snapping turtle.
The Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center announced in September that it had taken in a large adult male snapping turtle after rescuers found him “bludgeoned” with stones by kids.
The damage exposed its tissue and muscle after kids struck his carapace, or top shell, the center said.
Damage to the turtle’s top shellCredit: Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
Rescuers believed the turtle was an older adult male that had likely lived in the wild for decades.
“Please, please, please teach your children (and anyone in your life) to respect wildlife,” the center said in its Sept. 22 announcement. “This snapper could feel every bludgeon because, yes, turtles can feel pain in their shell. It’s not okay to abuse an animal!”
At the time, the center believed that if rescuers had not stepped in, it would have been too late for the turtle.
A month later, the unimaginable happened.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, the center announced that the turtle had begun to show scarring on top of its head, suggesting it may also have been targeted.
Photo of the turtle following its rescueCredit: Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center
On Oct. 9, the turtle died.
“This was an older male that had likely been alive for decades and it is truly heartbreaking to see his life cut short by the cruel and misguided actions of children,” the center said.
The Aark alerted the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission about the incident, but the commission could not do much without information about the kids.
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The center hopes the parents of the children who attacked the turtle learned about his story and taught the kids about “the wrongness of their actions.”
Source: Nature