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Woman Has Been Charged After Stomping On Turtle Nest

Woman Has Been Charged After Stomping On Turtle Nest

She allegedly used a stick to jab at the nest

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

A woman has been charged after she was spotted stamping on a nest of sea turtles.

Yaqun Lu was arrested after eye-witnesses reported seeing her 'jabbing at the sea turtle nest' with a wooden stake on Miami Beach, Florida.

And according to the arrest affidavit, the 41-year-old was also seen 'stomping all over the nest with her bare feet'.

Authorities say the area had been closed off to the public, with yellow tape surrounding the site, reading: "Do not disturb sea turtle nest."

Ms Lu was reportedly seen stomping on a nest of sea turtles.
Miami Beach Police Department

It's understood that Ms Lu used one of the wooden stakes, meant to protect the animals, to jab them.

However, a spokesperson for Miami Beach Police Department, Ernesto Rodriguez, said: "Thankfully, it appears the eggs were not damaged."

According to reports, sea turtles are federally protected under the U.S Endangered Species Act of 1973, as well as Florida statutes that make it illegal to harm or interfere with the animals, their nests or their offspring.

Miami Beach is a nesting location for three species of protected sea turtles; the Leatherback, the Loggerhead and the Green, which nest on the beaches from April to November.

Then nearly two months after they hatch, the babies make their way to the sea, but with only one in 1,000 hatchlings surviving into adulthood, they are very rare.

The perimeter was set up to protect them during this crucial period.

Two Green sea turtles.
PA

Ms Lu, who gave a Michigan address, was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she is being held on a $5,000 bond.

Earlier this month a teenager was arrested and charged with animal cruelty offences after video of him allegedly attacking an emu went viral on the internet.

Police were quick on the case when the footage began circulating on social media, showing a man holding down the big bird by the neck, ripping feathers from its body and then he tries to mount it.

A woman, presumably the person filming the ordeal, can be heard on camera saying: "This is going to be funny as fuck".

New South Wales Police has released a statement saying: "On Monday, police were made aware of a social media video circulating, allegedly showing a man pulling feathers out of a distressed emu, while those filming laughed.

"Following intensive inquiries, a 19-year-old man was arrested at a Dubbo home yesterday."

Featured Image Credit: Miami Beach Police Department

Topics: Animal Cruelty, Interesting, US News, crime, UK Entertainment, Animals