Reptile & Amphibian Forums

FLINTSHIRE LEADER & STANDARD (Mold, UK) 09 November 07 Terrapin recovering after being strapped to firework
Photo at URL below: The terrapin which suffered a bash to the head, bleeding from the mouth and a cracked shell.
A terrapin is being cared for at a reptile centre after someone taped it to a firework and set it off.
The RSPCA has reacted with stunned disbelief after the discovery of a terrapin that survived being taped to a firework in Wrexham.
On Tuesday morning, a dog returned from the garden of its owner's Rutland Road home with what looked like a stick in its mouth.
On closer examination the owner was horrified to find that the stick was in fact a used firework which had a terrapin attached to it.
The exotic creature had callously been taped to the rocket-type firework with white masking tape.
The firework had then been lit resulting in a terrifying experience for the animal.
It is thought the firework was set off on Bonfire night, November 5, meaning the terrapin lay in the garden all night until the dog found it at 7am the next morning.
The terrapin, which is thought to be female, suffered a bash to the head, bleeding from the mouth and a cracked shell.
She has been given an antibiotic injection plus cream has been provided for her shell.
RSPCA Animal Collection Officer (ACO) Claire Davies, who collected the terrapin, said: "I was completely lost for words when I discovered what had happened to this animal.
"For someone to have purposely taped this terrapin to a firework before lighting it is beyond belief.
"After this terrifying ordeal and lying in a cold garden all night it is a miracle that she survived.
"We campaign every year about the dangers and distress fireworks cause to animals but this was a deliberate, premeditated act of cruelty.
"We must find out who was responsible and we are asking the locals of Wrexham to come forward with any information they have.
"We are keen to hear from anyone who saw people setting off fireworks on the streets, people who know of exotic pet owners in the local area and obviously we would like to find out if anyone is missing their pet."
Calls can be made to the RSPCA national cruelty and advice line on 0300 1234 999.
The terrapin is now being cared for at a specialist reptile centre in North Wales.

http://www.flintshirestandard.co.uk/eveningleadernews/Terrapin-recovering-after-being-strapped.3462428.jp

BBC (London, UK) 13 November 07 Ad pulled after terrapin attack
An online advert showing a tortoise being shot into space has been pulled after it was linked to an incident when a terrapin was tied to a lit firework.
The creature was found injured by a dog in a garden in Wrexham on Bonfire Night. It had suffered a cracked shell, bumped head and a bleeding mouth.
The RSPCA linked the incident with the Virgin Media broadband advert which uses a cartoon tortoise.
The company apologised for any offence and said the advert had been stopped.
The RSPCA had accused Virgin Media of depicting animal cruelty with its cartoon image of a lit firework being used to fire a tortoise into space, ripping off its shell in the process.
A spokesman for the company said the advert was symbolic of a tortoise who wanted to get faster broadband and it did not condone cruelty to animals.
"We have stopped running our online advert, depicting a tortoise with a rocket, and sincerely apologise to anyone this may have offended," added the spokesman.
RSPCA spokesman David Bowles said the terrapin incident was not thought to be a direct copycat of the Virgin Media advert but he believed the two were connected.
He appealed for future advertising to be "thought through more carefully".
The terrapin, believed to be a female, is being cared for at the North Wales Raptor and Reptile centre.
Director Gary Dickinson said the creature had a "long way to go" but he was hopeful for a full recovery.
He said the terrapin was being called by a number of names, but the favourite at the moment was "Catherine".
Mr Dickinson said: "We're taking each hour as it comes, we've managed to get a little bit of food inside her."
He added that with "plenty of TLC" he hoped the terrapin would make a good recovery.
The RSPCA appealed on Friday for help in catching the culprits behind what they described as a "callous and sick" act of cruelty.
It is thought the firework with the terrapin attached to it was set off on 5 November, but it was not discovered until the following morning, meaning it had lain in a garden of a house on Rutland Road overnight.
RSPCA officer Claire Davies, who collected the terrapin, said she was "completely lost for words" when she discovered what had happened.
"After this terrifying ordeal and lying in a cold garden all night it is a miracle that she survived," she said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7092106.stm

THE TIMES (London, UK) 10 November 07 Terrapin cruelty mirrored advert
Wrexham: The RSPCA has called on Virgin Media to withdraw an advert that it says depicts animal abuse. It criticised the cartoon image of a lighted firework being used to fire a tortoise into space, ripping off its shell. The animal rights charity said the online advert for Virgin Media broadband was in “extremely bad taste”.
In the same week that the Virgin Media advert appeared the RSPCA received a report from Wrexham, North Wales, of a terrapin being tied to a firework and shot into the air.
The charity said in a statement: “The shocking incident happened in the same week a Virgin Media Broadband advert appeared on the internet, depicting a similar act of cruelty in cartoon form.”
David Bowles, head of the RSPCA’s external affairs, said the terrapin incident was not thought to be a direct imitation of the Virgin Media advert, although he believed the two were connected: “Sadly, portraying animal abuse in this way affects how some members of the public behave.” The terrapin suffered head and mouth injuries and a cracked shell but survived the ordeal.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2843610.ece