Michelle Brouse was out fishing on Vermillion Lake when she came across something that disgusted and angered her.
She described seeing a large turtle, obviously dead after becoming trapped in a discarded tire.
“Upon approaching it, we were totally sickened by seeing this,” Brouse said.
She didn’t specify the species, but from the size it appears to be a snapping turtle, the largest turtle species in the province.
“Yes, someone with so much disrespect for our waters, threw a tire in the lake. I only wish I knew who it was,” Browse said. “To anyone that either fishes there (or) lives on the water there, have some respect for our land.
“This is not only gross, it sickens me to see people destroying the fish, turtles and other reptiles.”
Making matters worse, of the eight turtle species once native to Ontario, seven are either threatened, endangered or extirpated (meaning the species isn’t extinct globally, but can no longer be found in a particular area, in this case, Ontario).
Here’s the list:
Blanding’s turtle – Threatened
Eastern box turtle – Extirpated
Eastern musk turtle – Special concern
Northern map turtle – Special concern
Snapping turtle – Special concern
Spiny softshell turtle – Endangered
Spotted turtle – Endangered
Wood turtle – Endangered.
— Sudbury.com