Aldabra Torts Siezed in NJ

[tweeter]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/animal_cruelty_charges_sought.html

Now they're charging them with cruelty. Poor torts.

 

[Baoh]

Hines’ wife, however, said the whole situation is a big misunderstanding. She said Maximus doesn’t cry out because of sadness.

"It’s a mating call," she said. "I’ve been listening to it for years. It’s kind of a joke for us."

But it was not a joke to Victor "Buddy" Amato, chief humane law enforcement officer of the Monmouth County SPCA. He said the reptiles were malnourished, with silver dollar-sized holes in their shells coated over in Fiberglas.

"They were living in an improper shelter with no sun," Amato said of the tortoise pen on Grand Tour street. "These are desert tortoises. The owners had dug up these trenches for them when water is the worst thing in the world for them to be lying in. You’ve got a 600-pound animal that can only go five feet one way and five feet the other."

While I agree, from the claims in the articles, that the space and sunlight access may have been woefully inadequate and -if true- merit immediate address, what I quoted above from the last article is horrendous.

Mating groans are not cries of distress. Supplying them with a wallow area is not "the worst thing for them". They are not "desert tortoises". Holes patched with fiberglass are not indications of poor care. Indications of malnutrition were mentioned, but not outlined unless they meant the patched holes, which would not be the case. Scary to those those in power so misinformed. Equally scary to see some people automatically default to an appeal to authority.

We are likely receiving a very polarized depiction that lacks full accuracy and it is sad to see opinions form prematurely in any unilateral direction.

 

[dmmj]

did you read the comments section so many people commenting before the facts are in, and quite a few said the zoo they were taken to was not a better choice.

 

[DixieParadise]

Have to agree if the article is correct, then shame on him. It seems whoever wrote the article did their homework and the official giving the information seems to know about the tortoises needs. It is sad, but perhaps the neighbors did these tortoises a favor. Just my thought......oh and I am against government officials coming in and confiscating for no reason. Seems there might have been a reason here.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm with Boah on this one. The "officials" are terribly mis-informed. My two aldabran tortoises will sit all day and all night in a mud puddle. They won't move out of it until the water has all absorbed into the mud or evaporated. They LOVE sitting in mud.

And would they have rather seen the gaping holes in the shell with no attempt to patch them? Who's to say how the holes got there.

I wasn't real thrilled about the small area they described that the tortoises were kept in, however, knowing from experience that it takes a long time to get things set up properly after a move, I think they should have been given more time to set it right. If they are both working at outside jobs, that means they only have after work and week-ends to set the tortoises up properly.

I am sometimes embarrassed at the mating sounds coming from my large tortoises and wonder what the neighbors must think. If you didn't know better, it might sound like moans of sadness.

I'm sad that someone who has had these large tortoises for 15 years has had to watch them be confiscated because of busy-body neighbors.

If it were me I would be getting me an attorney post haste.

 

[froghaven5]

I'm with Boah on this one. The "officials" are terribly mis-informed. My two aldabran tortoises will sit all day and all night in a mud puddle. They won't move out of it until the water has all absorbed into the mud or evaporated. They LOVE sitting in mud.

And would they have rather seen the gaping holes in the shell with no attempt to patch them? Who's to say how the holes got there.

I wasn't real thrilled about the small area they described that the tortoises were kept in, however, knowing from experience that it takes a long time to get things set up properly after a move, I think they should have been given more time to set it right. If they are both working at outside jobs, that means they only have after work and week-ends to set the tortoises up properly.

I am sometimes embarrassed at the mating sounds coming from my large tortoises and wonder what the neighbors must think. If you didn't know better, it might sound like moans of sadness.

I'm sad that someone who has had these large tortoises for 15 years has had to watch them be confiscated because of busy-body neighbors.

If it were me I would be getting me an attorney post haste.

Exactly what I was thinking when I read it. 1st thought was mating cries and though the area sounded too small, the wading pool was not wrong. I've been to the Popcorn Park zoo. It is a nice place. They actually have quite a few tortoise, the largest are sulcatas. John Bergmann's son is our Exotic Vet Dr. John Bergmann. He is a great guy.