Turtle Beaten on Golf Course Dies

A snapping turtle beaten on a golf course in Delavan has died.

It appears someone attacked the turtle with a golf club at Delbrook Golf Course.

From FOX6 News:

The female snapping turtle found beaten on the Delbrook Golf Course in Delavan Monday, June 10th has died. A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible.

Officials with the Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Fredonia recovered the turtle from the golf course late on Monday, June 10th. It apparently had been abused that morning — possibly between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.

The turtle, a female looking for a place to lay her eggs, was found lying in the sand bunker off Hole 4 North. Wildlife rehabilitators indicate the turtle had holes in its shell and also was struck in the right eye. It appeared to have been beaten with a golf club. The golf course superintendent saw the turtle about 7:30 a.m. when it was in the bunker preparing to lay her eggs, and was not in the condition reported about two hours later. The warden and the superintendent searched the bunker after 9:30 a.m. but no eggs were found.

“I am wordless, which is rare for people who know me. I have no defense for this type of criminal act,” said Jeannie Lord, Exec. Dir. of Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

...The turtle was eggless, and rehabilitators say the turtle may have laid her eggs somewhere in the bunker.

A minimum of $6,000 in reward money has been put up, and contributions are coming from PETA, golfers and others.

“I can’t wrap my mind around it. I can’t make sense of it. We want to find out who did this, whatever the proper punishment is — make sure that happens, and from there, just continue to educate golfers,” Dan Piecha with the golf course said.

Piecha says junior golfers are taught safety, respect for others and respect for the golf course. He says they are now also being taught respect for animals.

View photos of the beaten turtle here.

It is horrible that someone would hack at the turtle like that. Smashing her shell with a golf club was a terribly violent act. It's scary knowing someone capable of behaving so savagely is, at present, getting away with the awful abuse of a living creature. The person is dangerous and unstable.

I hope the individual responsible is identified, held accountable, and receives an appropriate punishment.

The FOX6 report stresses that "junior golfers" need to be taught more than golf etiquette. They must be taught to respect animals.

Is it presumed that the attacker is a "junior golfer"? Whatever, I would hope that both young and old golfers know it's wrong to mercilessly and senselessly bludgeon a turtle like that.

Beyond the crime itself, there is another aspect of this story that bothers me.

The reward for information related to the incident is at least $6,000. Of course, people should be horrified by the brutal beating of the turtle, but I'd like to see similar outrage when it comes to the abuse and murder of human beings.

Maybe it's the gruesome photos that have caused the turtle's story to garner national attention. Still, it's troubling that the public is so desensitized when it comes to homicides. There isn't similiar local or nationwide reaction to violence inflicted on people.

Another beating death? Too bad. Another murder? A statistic.

But a turtle is killed and people around the country are sickened. They're demanding justice, donating reward money.

There's nothing wrong with that. However, there is something wrong when a turtle's death causes more concern than the murder of Americans, whether the violence takes place in homes, on the streets of our cities, in Planned Parenthood clinics, or in Benghazi.




Here's video, from FOX6 News: