Very sad. But the tortoise is more like about 8 or 10 years old. According to the article the perp is scheduled for mental eval.
WIn the SF Bay Area there was a news Article of the Beating of Michelangelo a Large Sulcata Tort. On 2021-01-31
Here's A link to the article..
‘The tortoise is sick, it got an owie’: Beloved decades-old reptile recovering after attack at San Jose preschool
Michaelangelo, the 65-pound African sulcata tortoise, snacked on strawberries after undergoing surgery Saturday night.www.eastbaytimes.com
This poor Tort had a broom stick shoved in between it's head and front leg, AND, broken piece of 2 x 4 lodged in it's shell.
Dang, this guy/gal is tough.
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The individual was arrested and is mentally ill. We should all have our hearts out for this poor tort. However, mental illness is a serious issue especially in areas like SF were the homeless population is largely swept aside and unaided. As a person who struggles with PTSD and Trauma we should be careful not to characterize mental illness as "evil" the man is clearly sick and unwell. We wouldn't call a wolf with rabies evil if it bit another animal. I am not directing this at you but just raising awareness that mental illness is a serious issue. What happened was horrible and thank goodness the man was arrested.What kind of an evil person does this to a poor, innocent animal?
Poor tort.. I really hope he recovers well... ?
The individual was arrested and is mentally ill. We should all have our hearts out for this poor tort. However, mental illness is a serious issue especially in areas like SF were the homeless population is largely swept aside and unaided. As a person who struggles with PTSD and Trauma we should be careful not to characterize mental illness as "evil" the man is clearly sick and unwell. We wouldn't call a wolf with rabies evil if it bit another animal. I am not directing this at you but just raising awareness that mental illness is a serious issue. What happened was horrible and thank goodness the man was arrested.
Oh, and the guy was released later and returned to the same Preschool Monday Morn. and was rearrested.
SAN JOSE — The 40-year-old man arrested over the weekend on suspicion of bludgeoning and stabbing a decades-old 65-pound tortoise in a San Jose preschool garden was released from custody, then returned Monday morning with a brick, apparently looking for the injured tortoise.
The suspect, George Robles, ran off when the preschool director arrived at 6:40 a.m. Monday, a half hour before dozens of children ages 18 months to 5 years old, who adore the preschool pet and named him Michelangelo, began arriving.
“I was terrified. I saw the guy, the same guy, run out from the side gate,” Yvonne Co, director of Play ‘N’ Learn Preschool in East San Jose said Monday. “He should not have been released after something like this. That’s insane. What could he do next to anyone else?”
Fortunately, Michelangelo the Tort was still At the hospital recuperating.