College Student's Turtle Project Takes a Dark Twist

This is so disturbing, ATS.

Yahoo News is reporting something I personally find disgusting in the extreme.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson University student Nathan Weaver set out to determine how to help turtles cross the road. He ended up getting a glimpse into the dark souls of some humans. Weaver put a realistic rubber turtle in the middle of a lane on a busy road near campus. Then he got out of the way and watched over the next hour as seven drivers swerved and deliberately ran over the animal. Several more apparently tried to hit it but missed.

Can you imagine this? Deliberately trying to hit an animal? I've heard people joke about this, but I always thought they were just making things up.

Now I wonder....all the cats and dogs I see on the side of the road....how many were deliberately hit?

Disgusting! Certainly eye opening!

Thanks Smylee.

reply to post by smyleegrl


That's pretty crazy. There's a river that runs near my father's ranch, many turtles cross there. I've been caught a couple times stopping in the middle of the road to help them cross. They're pretty vicious. And pee everywhere, it's pretty gross. The only thing I purposefully hit with my car was a FISHER. It was eating the neighbors' pets, and livestock. Dogs, cats, sheep, what have you. And apparently it can kill cattle as well. I felt a bit bad about it but then again it stopped after that.

that's horrible! I believe it though...because I have seen it with my own eyes. I truly think that there are people in this world full of compassion for all creatures. Then there are those that aren't necessarily evil..but just not compassionate. I always swerve or slow down..I will even get out and move it across the road if there isn't a lot of traffic..

Once I accidentally ran over a squirrel. I felt completely miserable the rest of the day..I really felt bad...I tried to slow down..but that sucker zigzagged back and forth.

reply to post by smyleegrl


I would say it is really hard to prove that they deliberately tried to hit the turtle. People don't have very good awareness of where their tires are on the road...have you seen people try to pull into a carwash where their tires need to line up correctly???

I think when most people see something in the road, they swerve by instinct. Sometimes that swerve helps and sometimes it doesn't. But I think it would be very hard to prove that those people tried to hit the fake turtle.

\
A little visual aid for ya I watched this awhile back....very interesting expose' on human nature

A turtle fence.



In all seriousness turtles are awesome. Who would want to kill one?

A unfeeling monster, that's who.

That is sad and disturbing! I'm the person who stops as a snake is crossing the road to make sure no one hits it.

reply to post by smyleegrl
I've rescued many of turtles here in the south.
and would lose my mind if I saw anyone run one over.
Some people are just cruel and demented.

Originally posted by TWILITE22
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

I've rescued many of turtles here in the south.
and would lose my mind if I saw anyone run one over.
Some people are just cruel and demented.

I, too, have rescued my fair share of turtles.

However, I was an idiot. "Rescued" a turtle from the road and certain death, took him to a pond and tried to get him to swim. He sank like a rock, at which point my husband informed me that it was a type of turtle that doesn't swim.

I got him out. He was okay, but he definitely didn't know how to swim.

Ah, well. Learn something new each day.

I'm not surprised several drivers tried to run it over considering he put it on a highway near campus. Young college students will always want to impress their peers no matter how sick their actions may be. I can picture a car load of college guys getting a kick running it over. I wonder if he was able to document the gender or age of the drivers?

This happened to my family's cat growing up. My father walked our dog on a leash every evening, and the cat followed behind. He watched the car coming, saw it swerve, and knew what had happened. It was the first and last time I saw my father cry.

My cats don't leave the house unless they're in their carriers. I couldn't bring myself to do what my father had to do that next morning when the sun rose.

Originally posted by smyleegrl

Originally posted by TWILITE22
reply to post by smyleegrl

 

I've rescued many of turtles here in the south.
and would lose my mind if I saw anyone run one over.
Some people are just cruel and demented.

I, too, have rescued my fair share of turtles.

However, I was an idiot. "Rescued" a turtle from the road and certain death, took him to a pond and tried to get him to swim. He sank like a rock, at which point my husband informed me that it was a type of turtle that doesn't swim.

I got him out. He was okay, but he definitely didn't know how to swim.

Ah, well. Learn something new each day.

Too funny I'm sorry for laughing it just sounds like a scene from a dark comedy.
There's a small pond behind the neighbors house,well there was one it has since dried up but a few summers ago
I was walking through my living room and heard a knock on the door opened it no one there?I looked down and saw a turtle at the door.Why or how I don't know but my son and myself took him back to the pond may have been a female not sure how to tell but many many little ones greeted her.
Why that turtle came to my door is a mystery to me,but thinking she was lost and somehow and knew I would get her back home who knows but I'll never forget the day a turtle came a knocking!

I helped this beautiful five footer get across the road as traffic went around us. Turtles, snakes, cats, I hate to see anything senselessly killed. I have watched teenagers swerve madly in the road trying to hit kittens in our yard. It is hard not to track them kids down and beat them within an inch of their worthless lives.