As if hearing about the kitten thrown from a car on the Verrazano Bridge wasn't enough, now there's this terrible story about animal cruelty: Some jerk hammered a rusty nail into a box turtle, through its shell and into its body.
Wildlife Rescue Center of Hampton Bays turtle expert Karen Testa told WABC 7, "[The nail] was sticking out... the bottom of the turtle. And this is how he walked around until this neighbor found him. It was going to be a slow death for the turtle."
Luckily, X-rays showed that the nail missed the turtle's spine and major organs. The doctors put dental adhesive where the hole once was; Testa says, "It's horrible, horrible that someone can do this to a living creature that cannot run away and defend itself at all."
Sag Harbor residents Patty Burns and her daughter Arlena, who found the wounded animal, say that the turtle has lived in their backyard for 15 years. Arlena said, "I couldn't believe someone would do that to an animal. You see this little creature a couple times a year so it's like family, and oh my gosh. How could somebody actually do this?"
WABC 7 says that the SPCA is looking into the case and is offering a $1,000 reward.
