OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — On Saturday, a St. Cloud resident found a gopher tortoise with a bullet hole wandering around her property.
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The property owner contacted a rehab facility to treat the tortoise medically.
Swamp Girl Adventures Reptile Rehabilitation admitted the tortoise for gunshot wounds.
“The bullets entered the front side of the carapace, penetrating the lung, and one moved past the heart, stopping near the stomach,” the facility said in a Facebook post.
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They also added that the tortoise was in critical condition. Currently, the animal is receiving pain medication to stabilize the situation.
The shell, the rehab facility said, is not a shield that protects it all. It still has blood vessels and nerve endings that can affect reptiles.
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“Their bones can fracture just like our bones can, and this is painful for them just like it is for us. Please respect all wildlife, and we thank everyone for your continued support to help these animals,” the rehab facility said.
According to the rehab facility, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is aware of this situation.
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