Turtle has narrow escape from dog attack

| 20/09/2019 | 33 Comments
Cayman News Service
Nesting turtle attacked by dogs

(CNS): A nesting turtle narrowly escaped serious injury after she was attacked by two dogs on a local beach earlier this month. The incident was caught on CCTV at an important turtle nesting beach, the Department of Environment said this week in a social media post sharing the images. The turtle made it back to the sea with minor injuries but was unable to lay her eggs. Conservation officers were able to get to the scene because of the camera and identify the dogs.

The DoE said their officer was also able to track down the owner of the dogs to ensure they were secured.

“Our conservation officers will always attempt to educate the public first, prior to taking enforcement action, but pet owners should be aware that they are responsible if their pet harms a protected species,” officials from the DoE stated.

They also noted that without the beach cam they would not have known it had happened as they extended thanks to the companies that have helped to provide the surveillance.


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Category: Land Habitat, Science & Nature

Comments (33)

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  1. naturegirl says:

    Turtling is DEFINITELY poaching and a crime. It is illegal.

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  2. Moi says:

    Sick and tired of dogs running loose. The leash law needs to be implemented and followed up. The amount of times I have had to stop in my tracks or retreat because of pacts of dogs is frightening. Speak to the owner and you get a mouthful of abuse. The treatment of dogs on this island is deplorable.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    All dog’s should be licensed. it doesn’t need to be for a fee, but all dogs should be wearing a collar with a licence # that is annually updated with owners details, etc. Any dog not licensed, gets put down. It’s barbaric but its the only way to force genuinely caring owners to sort this. Further, all dogs must be leashed when outside of their own private property, with private property meaning a fenced/walled property. It’s really simple. There are wonderful dogs and owners. But there are some truly terrible dogs and owners. Let’s fix this. Dogs attacking turtles, i dont really think the world will end. Dogs attacking young children and defenceless people, it happens, and the worst can happen. Why are we waiting for it?

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  4. Anon says:

    Owner needs jail, the dogs should be put down. Disturbing nesting sea turtles is a serious crime.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You need to put your phone or computer down and stop posting nonsense like this you troll.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Owner needs a fine. That should do it. Of course if they didn’t pay it, nothing would come of it except maybe an amnesty. Ahhh, island life.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Where the hell are our hopeless Agriculture Dept Officers and why isn’t DOE doing more with officers who care more about the environment that they are meant to protect, instead of running personal business in govt time?

    • Anonymous says:

      How do you know the dogs were not in their own front yard!

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      • Moi says:

        Errrrmmm, probably because I don’t venture into other folks property. Doesn’t need much sense to work that one out. Then again…

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  5. Anonymous says:

    My dogs run loose because the Police don’t. As far as the Turtles go, tasty. Mmmm hmm.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    In Bodden Town the plentiful wild untethered dogs just attack cyclists, smaller pedestrians, cats, chickens and responsible pet owners dogs when they are walking them on a leash. If there were turtles in BT they would attack them too. It’s disgraceful how many people let their unneutered angry dogs out to roam, often in packs of three or more.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Whats disgraceful is that cayman can’t get its act together to take care of this problem. It’s not complicated. WTF?

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    • Anonymous says:

      But PAWS has a Thrift Store in Bodden Town, you know, like to raise monies for helping dogs…lol

  7. Anonymous says:

    Dogs take on the spirit of their owners.

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    • BeaumontZodecloun says:

      Some dogs are much better ‘people’ than their owners. Lately I have seen many dogs roaming, and they quickly learn where they can grub a meal — a meal which should have been provided by their POS owners. It makes me sick. Dogs will revert to their base impulses when faced with starvation.

      Dogs don’t inherently have mean spirits. These dogs were likely just trying to survive. Starving dogs will run down almost any species to live. People say things like, “I would NEVER eat that no matter how hungry I got”, but most of those have never experienced true hunger. You would eat it and beg for more if you were truly hungry, and so will dogs.

      I sometimes imagine staking out these negligent owners with a cup of muddy water and table scraps thrown in the dirt, and see how they fare as the days and weeks go by.

      You aren’t mature enough to take care of an animal, you shouldn’t have one. That might also apply to children.

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  8. Registered Voter says:

    The owner of the dogs should be chaged and prosecuted. Too many unsecured dogs around.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    And was the dog owner fined? They need to stop letting irresponsible animal owners off the hook. Will it take a child getting mauled for them to finally enforce the law?!!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      A child was severely mauled about 15? Years ago. I don’t think it’s in the Caribbean mindset to deal with things like this. Paradise, ya know?

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Thank god. Wouldn’t want to waste good human food on a dog.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Poor turtles.

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Were the dogs charged with GBH or attempted poaching? Poachers could cry “unfair”!

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    • Anonymous says:

      The owner should be charged, not the dog.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Poachers need serious prison time minimum 5 years

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      • Anonymous says:

        Fishing and Turtling for a living is NOT poaching.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Close restaurants and search their stock…replenished by daily poachers in EE to start. The restaurants that are allowed to have their sandwich boards on the end of the street and sidewalks. Check their personnel, too, none are Caymanian. How are they now loaded with monies to buy up properties and invest big monies with upgrading? Geez…

        • BeaumontZodecloun says:

          Fishing within compliance of the Marine Conservation Laws is not poaching. Turtling without a license IS poaching, and illegal and should carry jail time. Fishing outside of compliance with the MCL IS poaching, and does carry fines/jail.

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