PETA is offering a reward of up to £2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for dumping two turtles in a skip outside a pub in Dudley.
The female turtles were found in a carpark outside The Old Bull’s Head last Monday (20 November). One had severe damage to her shell and has died as a result of her injuries, likely sustained when heavy rubbish was tipped on top of her.
“We’re calling on anyone who has information about this case to come forward so that whoever abandoned these animals can be held accountable and prevented from endangering anyone else,” says PETA Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen (pic).
“It takes a disturbing and dangerous lack of empathy to abandon living, feeling beings.” PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – notes that turtles and other reptiles sold in pet shops are either caught in the wild (potentially damaging fragile ecosystems) or bred in cramped, filthy breeding mills.
The animals are often drugged and stuffed into suitcases so that they can be illegally smuggled across borders. Many do not survive the journey, and those who do usually arrive in poor health.
In addition, turtles are perceived as requiring minimal care, but they have very specific needs, including controlled temperatures, enough water to swim in, a large living space, and a varied diet. Many exotic animals die within a year of purchase because of inadequate care, but when their needs are properly tended to, turtles may live for 25 years or longer, requiring a serious commitment of time and resources from guardians.
The RSPCA is urging anyone with firsthand information about the incident to call its appeals line on 0300 123 8018. PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
