The B.C. SPCA is investigating case of alleged animal cruelty in which a pair of turtles had holes drilled into their shells where handles were then screwed in.
The SPCA was notified last week by Mike Hopcraft, who runs an Abbotsford reptile rescue centre after he picked up the animals from a Delta man who wanted to give up ownership of them.
“I found holes drilled into them and handles installed in them,” said Hopcraft.
Hopcraft said the owner told him the handles made it easier to carry the 15-kilogram sulcata tortoise and to leash the smaller turtle when he left it outside.
The smaller reptile also had a jewel glued to its shell.
“I told him, ‘you shouldn’t get an animal and then have to modify it to suit your lifestyle,” said Hopcraft. “‘You’re causing pain and discomfort to an animal just to make your life easier.'”
Home to be investigated
Animal cruelty charges could be laid, according to SPCA senior animal protection officer Eileen Drever.
“I’m not sure if this is a deliberate act of cruelty or whether it was ignorance,” Drever said. “But either way, this individual, I believe, caused these animals to be in distress and committed an offence.”
Turtles have live tissue, nerves and blood cells under their shells, Maple Ridge veterinarian Adrian Walton told CBC News Wednesday.
Drilling through skin causes the animal physical pain and exposed tissue could lead to bacteria or fungi growth, Walton said.
The SPCA is also investigating whether dogs and other animals in the man’s home are receiving necessary care, said Drever.