Two turtles found hurt and chained together in canal
By Edward Franco
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NAPLES, Florida (WBBH) — Shane Tilley and John Hansen were fishing in a canal in Golden Gate Estates when they discovered two turtles chained together and injured, leading to an unexpected rescue mission.
“I was livid when I left here. I mean, I was, I was crying, I was teary-eyed,” Shane Tilley said.
Instead of catching fish, Tilley and Hansen found the turtles connected by a lock, with a chain pierced through their shells.
“They had this going through it, drilled holes through each of their shells,” Tilley said.
John Hansen expressed his disbelief at the situation.
“I was disgusted, for one. Just thinking that somebody would actually go and do that to an animal is just beyond me,” he said.
“Just seeing a hole literally drilled to the side of the shell and having them chained together, I mean, when struggling for air, and they get low and diving down, it was just one big struggle after another,” said Hansen.
The friends managed to rescue the turtles, removing the chain and setting them free after one of the turtles bit Tilley.
“I just used pliers and just bent the hooks and pulled them out. They weren’t too happy with me doing it,” Tilley said.
Despite contacting wildlife officers, Tilley and Hansen were informed that not much could be done since no one witnessed who chained the turtles. They believe this could be a case of animal cruelty.
“It’s just not proper. It’s not right. And then hopefully people can learn for something like this. You just can’t go around doing that. It doesn’t matter if it’s human or any animal — can’t do that,” Hansen said.
Both Tilley and Hansen plan to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and report it to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, hoping that people will respect Florida’s wildlife.
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James Willingham470-603-1211