Last weekend, two surfers on the beaches of Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia took a photograph with a caption that read ‘surfed a tortoise [sic] on zee weekend’, only it wasn’t a tortoise at all. Not that it would’ve been any more chill if they were riding on top of a tortoise because that’s equally as fucked up. Just look at how miserable the creature is and how it’s been pinned onto the sand by two drunk adults.
Anyways, it wasn’t a tortoise at all. It was an endangered Green Turtle, a sea turtle that is protected worldwide. And the social media post (now deleted) shared by these shit bags has since gone viral and now these dickheads are facing HUUUUUGE fines, and rightfully so:
Caption read 'surfed a tortoise [sic] on zee weekend'. It's actually a green turtle. @abcwidebay
Parks and Wildlife are investigating. pic.twitter.com/EmLsSKXTXv
— Dominic Cansdale (@DominicCansdale) November 2, 2016
via GrindTV.com:
“QPWS are taking this matter very seriously and investigating further,” an agency spokesperson told the Fraser Coast Chronicle, adding that the men face possible fines of up to $20,000 apiece for harassing wildlife. Another spokesperson added, “These guys are just complete idiots – there’s no way they should be doing what they were doing.”
The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection also is investigating.
Both agencies are looking into whether the large green sea turtle might have been dead during the mens’ horseplay.
“Dead or not it’s still wrong and inhuman, like do we think its acceptable to stand on the back of a dead human being?”wrote Queensland resident Simone Sheriff, on one of many comment threads pertaining to the image. “No. So it’s not alright to stand on the back of the dead animal.”
If I sound like I’m bothered by the fuckboi’s actions it’s because I really, really am. I grew up on an island here in Florida (Siesta Key) which is home to nesting sea turtles every year. I’ve seen their population numbers decline, I’ve seen condo development completely destroy the nesting habitats of the awesome (and endangered) sea turtles, and the last thing in the world I’d expect to see are some fucking losers riding on top of an endangered turtle like it’s a goddamn surfboard. Fuck everything about these guys, and I hope they get hit with the maximum possible fine.
…(via Fraser Coast Chronicle)…