He skips school and has himself filmed killing a turtle: reported as a minor

He skips school and has himself filmed killing a turtle: reported as a minor

A minor from La Spezia was reported for throwing stones and killing a turtle, while being filmed by friends. The boy was traced thanks to the surveillance cameras present inside the Parco della Rimembranza, where the group had gone on the morning of 18 January last, after skipping school.

The footage shows the boys as they enter the park pushing a shopping cart, possibly from a nearby supermarket. Spotted the turtle on the edge of an ornamental tank, one of them asked the others to be filmed while he was hitting it with stones until its shell was destroyed.

The injured animal then sought shelter in the water, before being seen by a passerby. The woman also tried to take care of the turtle in the following days, but was unable to save her due to the wounds being too deep.

Once identified by the local police, the boy was summoned together with his parents. He is accused by the public prosecutor of mistreating and harming animals, a crime that carries a minimum fine of 5,000 euros. The penalty can be increased if the act is carried out with cruelty and causes the death of the animal. In the most serious cases, prison is also foreseen, from 3 to 18 months.

Even the National Agency for the protection of animals (Enpa) has decided to file a complaint against “all those responsible for the custody, surveillance and education of minors”, to ask for compensation to be donated to actions for the protection of animals. “A stomach-churning episode”, defined it by the national president Carla Rocchi. “Unfortunately, the gruesome cases involving minors are more and more numerous and it is necessary to severely punish these crimes”.