Turtles 'left to die' after being thrown in Gornal pub car park skip in 'one of the most heartbreaking cases of cruelty and neglect'

The Proteus Reptile Trust and Brockswood Animal Sanctuary, both based off Catholic Lane in Sedgley, have revealed the shocking case after the discovery at the The Old Bull's Head in Gornal.

Landlords Jo and Martin contacted the animal rescue teams after they found the turtles covered in heavy rubbish thrown into a skip on their car park.

Even worse, the turtles had suffered significant damage to one of their shells with vets working desperately to save her.

Rescuers urged well-wishers to keep their fingers crossed for the recovery of the turtles after "being left to die".

A spokesman for the Proteus Reptite Trust said: "Just when we think we’ve seen the extent of the neglect and cruelty animals can endure due to neglectful owners, we meet these poor turtles. We were contacted by Jo and Martin; the owners of The Old Bull's Head in Gornal after they were discovered abandoned in the skip on their car park.

"Even worse, the turtles were uncovered under heavy rubbish thrown into the skip, and we think this had been thrown on top of them, causing significant damage to one of their shells.

"We’re working hard caring for this poor girl at the moment and are working with our vets to keep her comfortable today as she is very weak, before we can X-ray tomorrow and see what is happening inside and just how much damage there is.

"This is one of the most heartbreaking cases we have seen for some time and has really upset us to think about what they have endured at the hands of somebody who thought it would be acceptable to simply throw them away like a piece of rubbish and forget about them, likely leaving them to die.

"This is not acceptable for any animal, but these turtles have such complex needs they could not possibly survive had the lovely people at the pub not discovered them and pulled out all the stops to find a safe refuge for them. Sadly, as exotic animals and with so many sanctuaries like us are full at the moment, there is not a lot of help out there for animals like these at the moment and we had to help them!

"We’re doing our best for them and will keep you updated on their progress. We have everything crossed for their recovery and together with our vets will throw everything we can at them. We appreciate your support so much because, without you, none of this would be possible!

"We would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to the staff at our sister sanctuary Brockswood for helping us with this emergency.

"Owning a pet is a big responsibility and it should never be taken lightly. While we understand that life circumstances can change very quickly, abandoning your pet should never be an option. If you find yourself in a position where you can no longer care for your pet, please consider re-homing them responsibly instead of abandoning them."

Staff at Brockswood in Sedgley added: "One of the most heartbreaking cases of neglect and cruelty we have seen in a while.

"This has deeply affected us all as we have helped our friends at Proteus Reptile Trust with this emergency today, all the time thinking about what these poor turtles have endured.

"The injuries one of them has sustained are extensive, and we're working together to heal her. Proteus do an amazing job and are also lucky to work with some fantastic vets so we have everything crossed for a second chance for these deserving individuals; sadly seen as somebody's rubbish yesterday, today our little treasures.

"Please keep your fingers crossed for these little angels and as always, thank you so much for your support of both ourselves and our amazing sister sanctuary, Proteus Reptile Trust, it's thanks to you that we can help animals like these."