Chalfont, Pennsylvania – An adult male snapping turtle has died from injuries allegedly inflicted by children who beat him with a baseball bat. The senior turtle was taken to the Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in September with severe injuries.
When the turtle was first taken in, the organization said:
A large adult male snapping turtle was admitted earlier this month after rescuers found him being bludgeoned with stones by kids. This caused substantial damage to his carapace (top shell) exposing tissue and muscle. He will now have to spend the winter in our clinic due to his injuries.
This is an old adult male that had likely been alive for decades. 😭 If rescuers had not stepped him, it’s possible he would not be alive right now. It is truly mind boggling and horrific to see young people behaving this way towards an innocent animal who likely was just minding his own business.
On Wednesday, the organization said the turtle had passed away, and noted that the injuries were actually believed to be from a baseball bat:
We have some sad news. The adult male snapping turtle that was admitted after being attacked by children with a baseball bat passed away on Friday. Recently, he had begun to show scarring on the top of his head which, sadly, makes us think that it was not only his shell they were targeting but also his head. 💔
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 rehab center is unsure if the parents of the children were notified. They said:
Unfortunately, we still do not know the answer to that, but we hope that the parents were informed and that these children will be educated on the wrongness of their actions in ending this turtle’s life.
Rest easy innocent one.
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