The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has increased its cash reward offering to $3,000 for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the intentional drowning of a turtle in Geiger Park Lake, located in the hamlet of Deer Park within the Town of Babylon.
Babylon Town Park Rangers discovered the turtle on the afternoon of Aug. 23 while investigating e-bike complaints. They found it trapped inside a cage submerged in the lake. When they pulled the cage ashore, they saw a fishhook lodged in the turtle’s mouth and the turtle tethered inside the cage with zip ties to prevent escape.
They rushed the turtle to West Islip Veterinary Hospital of Long Island for evaluation and medical treatment. The veterinary hospital determined that the turtle was a yellow-bellied slider, a species not native to Long Island, and most likely purchased from a pet shop. They also determined that it had been dumped in the lake only a short time before park rangers discovered it. The turtle eventually succumbed to its injuries and died at the veterinary hospital on Aug. 25. Suffolk County SPCA officially announced its death later in the month and increased the cash award from $ 2,000 to $3,000. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Suffolk County SPCA at (631) 382-7722. All calls will remain confidential.
