PETITION TARGET: Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross
In a heartbreaking act of cruelty, a turtle was found with a fish hook lodged in his mouth, tethered with zip ties to the inside of a cage, and submerged in Geiger Lake in Deer Park, New York.
Town of Babylon park rangers recovered the turtle on August 23 after people at the park alerted them while the rangers were responding to an electric-bike complaint. Although the turtle was taken to West Islip Veterinary Hospital, he later died.
Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross described the turtle as a male yellow-bellied slider estimated to be about 12 years old. Gross said he believed the turtle was likely once kept as a companion animal because the species is not native to Long Island.
No animal should be abused, abandoned, and left to suffer.
The Suffolk County SPCA is investigating, and a $3,000 reward is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Sign this petition urging Chief Gross and the Suffolk County SPCA to use every available investigative resource to find the person responsible and hold them accountable for this horrific cruelty to protect other animals from suffering in the future.
