Shown in the photo below, one of two female suspects who abused sea turtles in their nesting habitat earlier this summer has finally been arrested on a felony warrant.
Florida officials have been searching for 20-year-old Stephanie Moore (left) ever since she and her cohort posted online selfies showing them atop egg-laying tortoises and harassing the creatures in the process.
She was taken into custody over the weekend following an unrelated “disturbance” at her Melbourne residence. Moore’s criminal associate, however, still remains at large.
The two women became a target of internet scorn -- and a manhunt by officers of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission -- after they Facebooked snapshots of themselves cruelly straddling the marine animals in July.
The 20-mile stretch of beachfront where they committed those offenses “is home to the most important sea turtle nesting habitat in the United States,” said a spokesman for the Sea Turtle Conservation agency.
According to STC, over 90-percent of all sea turtles originate from this one location, and annually return there from the sea for breeding purposes.
Experts want the public to also be mindful that, due to the aquatic creatures’ weight, they’re especially challenged when on land.
Moreover, sitting on them, as Moore and her callous companion did, not only threatens their ability to successfully deposit eggs, but could damage their skeletons, too, leading to inevitable death.
Police are therefore still seeking to arrest the second perpetrator in this animal cruelty case and are asking the public to forward any tips that will expedite the matter to CrimeLine at 1-800-423-8477.
