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Police investigating case of mutilated tortoise
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More from Other NewsBob, a friendly, 42-pound African tortoise, remains in intensive care in a Santa Barbara animal hospital after the pet was snatched from the back yard of a Ventura home over the weekend, mutilated and left to die behind an apartment complex.
Authorities are asking for the public's help in solving the case, believed to be one of the worst incidents of animal abuse in Ventura in years and one that could bring felony charges.
Bob's arms, neck and leathery hind legs were slashed and his dark green shell was stabbed repeatedly — in a possible effort by his taker or takers to recreate an episode of the Discovery Channel's Man vs. Wild cable television show, where the military trained host kills and eats a tortoise to survive, an anonymous caller told the family.
"What they did to Bob was heinous and despicable, and we are hopeful that someone will come forward to police," Dorothy Sullivan, Bob's owner, said.
Bob was more than a household pet to the Sullivans, whose 6-year-old son William is autistic and until a couple years ago didn't speak to humans, communicating instead through sign language.
But with Bob, the little blond boy, who also suffers from the rare neuron-genetic disorder Angelman syndrome, was a regular chatterbox. The approachable reptile opened an inexplicable window into William's inner world, and the boy would bare details of his days at school and private life, his mother said.
"William was devastated and physically sick when he saw what happened to Bob," his mother said.
Bob, believed to be about 25 years old, was snatched from the Sullivan's home in the 100 block of East Center Street sometime between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, when Sullivan went to check on him and discovered he was gone. She believes someone scaled a back fence.
The family called the Ventura Police Department to report the missing tortoise, and within an hour had posted dozens of fliers in their west Ventura neighborhood.
Sunday morning Sullivan received a call from a man who wanted money for information of Bob's whereabouts. She refused to give him any money until he delivered her to Bob.
She finally followed the man, who never identified himself, to thick brush beyond a retaining wall behind the nearby Ventura Valley View apartments on Cedar Street. When she first saw Bob, she was relieved. But then she got closer, she saw his shell had been stabbed and splintered. Now emotional and yelling, she peppered the man with questions about what happened. He quickly sped off on a bicycle and never returned.
It wasn't until she transported Bob home in a small wagon that she realized he was bleeding badly from his underbelly.
"This is one of the worst attacks I've ever seen," said Jeanie Vaughan, owner and founder of Turtle Dreams, an animal rescue and rehabilitation center in Santa Barbara where Bob was initially taken for treatment. "I don't know how someone could be so cold and thoughtless to take a knife or other sharp object and slash a defenseless animal."
Bob's extensive injuries required him to be taken to a Santa Barbara animal hospital, where he was sedated and fitted with a feeding tube to provide food and medication to stave off infection, Vaughan said.
"We don't know if he is going to make it," Vaughan said. "His kidneys are working, for now, but it's going to be touch and go for a few days."
Bob had lacerations on his head and legs, as though someone had tried to remove him from his shell, police said.
"We are taking this very serious," Ventura Police Sgt. Jack Richards said, adding that the level of brutality likely would lead to felony charges if they make an arrest.
A conviction of felony animal abuse can bring up to three years in state prison, while a misdemeanor conviction could result in a year in jail, said Nancy Ayers, a senior prosecutor in the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
"Our office takes a tough stance on people who are abusive to animals," said Ayers, who handles animal abuse cases. "Fortunately, they remain uncommon."
Anyone with information can contact detectives at 339-4394 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 385-TALK. Information that leads to an arrest could result in a reward of up to $1,000, police said.
Bob is a sulcata tortoise or African spurred tortoise, a hearty but endangered species that lives roughly 50 years in captivity and can grow to as much as 200 pounds, experts say. The land-dwelling animals are prolific breeders and have been increasingly found in the pet trade, Vaughan said.
"They are adorable when they are very small," Vaughan said. "And some pet sellers don't tell the buyer that they can grow so big, so they often end up being dumped when they become too much to handle."
Bill and Dorothy Sullivan found Bob a decade ago wondering in the alley behind their house. They took him in and tried to locate his owners, but couldn't. The state Department of Fish and Game told the couple the tortoise could not be returned to the wild, so they established a home for him in their back yard. They consider him family now, hand feeding him strawberries and fondly referring to him as the "poop machine." They are thankful for his connection to their son.
"We call him a therapy turtle because he miraculously brings William out of his shell," Dorothy Sullivan said.
The couple is facing hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in veterinarian bills. They have received a couple anonymous calls from area residents and are convinced someone saw who brutalized their pet.
"The scary thing is, if whoever did this gets away with it, it's likely they will do it again," Bill Sullivan said. "We just hope someone will speak up."
Posted by lyn_uk1 on July 10, 2007 at 7:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What is it with some people who find the need to be cruel to an animal? I hope this tortoise survives this vicious attack and the person or people who did this suffer for it!!
Posted by Whosaidwhat on July 10, 2007 at 7:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Poor little tortoise, well not so little..40lbs. How can someone do this to an animal? Whoever did this is taking a first class plane to hell.
Posted by 805grl on July 10, 2007 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
sickos!! Someone needs to tell on them...next they'll try to hurt a human!
Posted by AnaCapa on July 10, 2007 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's a fact that most infamous mass murderers started out torturing and killing animals. Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy etc. That's why animal cruelty is now a felony in most states. It used to be just a misdemanor.
Posted by VenturaN on July 10, 2007 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Anything happening in the neighborhood is news. It used to be important to care about whats happening where you live. Better than another shooting.
Posted by smithjc on July 10, 2007 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i hope that they catch whoever maimed that poor tortoise. sick ****er.
now, notice how once again the red star gives us stellar reporting (no pun intended) about the other crime. gee, you think race/ethnicity might just be an issue here? two young men, one tall, one short. hey, i think i know them.
Posted by sbrandenburg on July 10, 2007 at 9:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey, Star, do you think you could be a little more general in your descriptions of the perpetrators?? I mean, I think you may have narrowed it down way too much for anybody to know who these dudes were...
Posted by nelsaf on July 10, 2007 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
From the ventura police dept press release:
Suspect 1: Adult White male, 18-22 years of age, blonde hair, 6’ – 4”, approximately 180 pounds, t-shirt, black pants.
Suspect 2: Adult White male, 18-22 years of age, blonde hair, 5’ – 7”, 160 pounds, dark shirt, black pants.
Link:
http://www.cityofventura.net/depts/po...
Posted by grizzly1 on July 10, 2007 at 11:38 a.m.
(This thread was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by rumrico1 on July 10, 2007 at 11:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
last year i was was ruffed up by venturas finest, VtpD looking for a african american , im african american, the description i was told givin was a african american with black hair my hair is brown an red the suspect was a six foot somaon im a five ft 4 african american who is diabled an walks with a cane who has had a 5 disc fussion in my neck sitting in my vehiicle minding my own buisness-,i feel this is a tatic used to belittle people of other ethnic back grounds other than caucasian,cau'casoids , these behaviors are used to try to opress people it is used by the Media and surely VTpD your finest
Posted by rumrico1 on July 10, 2007 at 11:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i feel an meany others of different ethnic backgrounds this form of opression tatic is very noticeable, an needs to be investigated but it wont be not at the city an county level, its all tied in,, with Uuncle Tom.
Posted by Hueneme_girl29 on July 10, 2007 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why would you put a turtle soup recipe on there? Sheesh, have some respect. I have a tortise and I couldnt imagine what the family is going thru. We've had ours in our family for over 50 years.
Posted by stnbs on July 10, 2007 at 12:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Grizzly1. . . How dare you post a recipe for turtle soup! Do you have no compassion. This is a family pet and is treated like a member of the family!
To the owners of the turtle. . I hope he makes it. It's hard to believe the awful ways people can treat an animal.
Posted by Hueneme_girl29 on July 10, 2007 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Woo hoo! Got the turtle soup recipe off! Heartless Grizzly1
Posted by Ventuckey on July 10, 2007 at 1:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Poor Tortoise! Hope that catch the sick f***** who did this and lock them up.
Posted by math_spirit on July 10, 2007 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What is the chance that the sicko that posted the soup recipe is the same person hurt that poor defenseless turtle.
KARMA will prevail!!
Posted by Hueneme_girl29 on July 10, 2007 at 1:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree math_spirit! Karma's a B&%*%!
Posted by rumrico1 on July 10, 2007 at 2:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
God is good for those who think they can get away with all this senseless crimes along with opression
Posted by FedUp on July 10, 2007 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rumrico - if anything, the media is on the side of any ethnicity, other than caucasian. the STAR will not print the ethnicity of any suspect, because they are a member of the hispanic journalists society, or something lame like that. they felt that too many suspects were hispanic, and it was just generalizing the hispanic population as all criminals.
sorry you were mistreated by the VPD. I am pretty sure they did not mistake a 5 foot nothing person, for a 6 foot something person though. I am sure there is more to your story.
Posted by diamondshines4you on July 10, 2007 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope the Tortoise will live and be fine and will be able to go back home to his family. I hope that when these scum bags are in cuffs they will get lots of time locked up and I do not mean in county jail I hope they go to the big house and see what will happens to them for doing this to something that did not deserve to be cut up the way he was. If someone knows who did it you need to report these scum bags.
Posted by I_LOVE_VENTURA on July 10, 2007 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am a big believer in karma...and it really helps me to think that whomever did this to a defenseless tortoise will get theirs someday. I hope Bob gets well soon!
Posted by junejun2000 on July 10, 2007 at 8:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a desert tortoise and she is a great pet. I don't understand how someone can be so cruel. Is there a fund being set up to help with the cost of the care?
Posted by layservantofjmj on July 10, 2007 at 9:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I will be praying to St Francis of Assisi for Bob the Tortoise.
Posted by KnowItAll on July 10, 2007 at 11:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Poor Bob; may he fully recover. I hope they catch these slimeballs.
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