Teens investigated after sickening tortoise torture video surfaces
Animal rights activists are upset after two Florida teen girls threw, crushed and lit an endangered tortoise on fire, killing the creature — all while laughing about it and filming it for the Internet.
After the girls posted the video to Facebook, it caused a frenzy across the nation and a Las Vegas animal control officer noticed the story and reported the act of animal cruelty to a local animal abuse group, Nevada Voters for Animals.
According to the Florida Times-Union, “a 16-year-old Ridgeview High School classmate and Facebook friend of the two girls said he saw the videos and was disgusted, so he downloaded them and posted some comments on Facebook.”
That classmate, Ash Erd, came forward and has joined ranks with the animal abuse protestors via Facebook.
“I love animals and have had a turtle since kindergarten,” Erd told the Times-Union. “People like that don’t deserve to be on this planet because they took joy and thought it was funny and laughed at it.”
“We have received multiple complaints about the videos posted to Facebook last evening showing the killing of a small gopher tortoise,” MyFWC’s page says. “Our officers are investigating the case and are presently working with the State Attorney’s Office to determine what charges may be filed. Please keep alerting us with your tips.”
Following the violence, Erd has created a donation page where all proceedes go directly to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida Inc.
“I’m creating a fundraising account to raise money to bring awareness to the Florida Gopher Tortoise which is an endangered species,” Erd wrote on his Facebook page.
Contact Ashley Casper at acasper@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @TheCasperA
