Boy carves initials on turtle in 1965. Dad finds turtle alive 47 years later

[Liberal_in_LA]

Turtle With Boy’s Initials Turns Up Alive 47 Years Later



It was 1965 when a boy in Washington County carved his initials in a turtle’s shell and then let it go.

Now, 47 years later, the turtle is still alive and has been found by the boy’s dad.

Holland Cokeley, 85, of South Strabane, Washington County, was walking in the woods of his backyard with his neighbor’s dog, Zack.

Zack began poking around at something and Cokeley realized it was a turtle. He didn’t think much of it, until he gave it a closer look.

----------------

Jeff Cokeley now lives in New York State, but began laughing when his dad sent him pictures of the turtle.

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Holland Cokeley kept it for a couple days and then released it, so it can wander for perhaps many more years.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/05/04/turtle-with-boys-initials-turns-up-47-years-later-alive/

[Rambis]

1. Turtle vandalism?

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. turtle graffiti

[BlueCaliDem]

23. Turtle torture. Contrary to popular belief, a turtle shell isn't like our hair.

The can feel pain, heat, even the slightest touch. I know this for a fact since I have red-eared slider turtles and Red-foot tortoises. Just gently touch their shell and you'll see them react.

Poor turtle. He must've felt some mean pain when the little boy carved his initials in his shell. I don't blame the boy, though. Not everyone knows this little fact. I bet he even thought turtles can shed their shell, since people in that era actually believed when they found an empty turtle shell it was because the turtle shed it. No. It means the turtle had died.

[girl gone mad]

33. Too bad it wasn't a snapping turtle.

I'd like to see some little brat try to carve into this guy's shell:

[Butterbean]

35. Exactly my first thought: poor turtle, how excruciatingly painful that must have been. :(

[BlueCaliDem]

57. Since it was on his plastron (underside) it was very painful.

The carapace is a little tougher since it's exposed to the elements, but they can still feel pain and pressure through their carapace and plastron. According to the San Diego website, they feel the same type of pain as we would through our fingernails.

Can you imagine anyone carving into your fingernails?

Here is a piece on it: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-turtle.html

[Marrah_G]

47. I never knew the shells had pain nerves

or any nerves at all.

I love DU. I swear I learn something new every day.

[GaYellowDawg]

55. Reaction to touch means that shells have pressure receptors, but not necessarily pain receptors.

The assumption that reaction to pressure automatically means that increased pressure brings pain is an unfounded one.

[Seedersandleechers]

51. Had he carved his initials on the top shell

instead of the underbelly I imagine it might have been less painful. Dunno though.

[GaYellowDawg]

54. You don't have enough data to make that assertion.

Different types of receptors detect stimulus types; e.g., heat, pain, pressure. Reaction to pressure does not necessarily mean pain is involved. You have no idea whether the turtle felt pressure without pain during the carving, pressure with some pain, or pressure with "mean pain." You'd have to know the density of pain receptors in the shell in order to accurately make your assertion about pain.

[BlueCaliDem]

56. There IS enough data out there, and I'm correct, according to the San Diego Zoo's

website:

"The shell’s top is called the carapace, and the bottom is the plastron. Turtles can feel pressure and pain through their shells, just as you can feel pressure through your fingernails."

I ask ya . . . if someone carves into your fingernails, would that hurt you?

[GaYellowDawg]

59. No, you haven't established yourself as correct.

It says through the shells, not in the shells. If someone carved into my fingernails, it wouldn't hurt a bit if they didn't penetrate the nail. In fact, given that analogy, you've pretty much established that you're incorrect in your assertion, and that the turtle is and was just fine.

[BlueCaliDem]

63. But he DID penetrate the plastron surface and cut INto the shell. How else would his initials

remain there even after forty-seven years?

If someone took a knife and carved into your fingernails it would friggin HURT! The pressure alone is incredibly painful. Why don't you take a small Swiss Army knife and test for yourself? Let me know what happens, although, being a mother who cooks a lot and works with sharp knives, I already know the end result.

Some bit of info that will, hopefully, clear this up for you.

Turtle Shells
There are many popular misconceptions about turtle and tortoise shells. They are, in fact, made of living tissue. [snip] Turtles can also feel pain through injuries to their shells, and this has particular significance when restraining them. They should never be tethered to a rope or chain via a hole drilled in their shell, as was a practice a number of years ago.
http://www.gopetsamerica.com/reptiles/turtles.aspx

[GaYellowDawg]

64. Well, now that I've seen the pictures, I definitely have to change my position and agree with you.

As a note: I have an MS in biology, including a comparative anatomy class, and I do know what the hell I'm talking about. I'd envisioned scratches. Scratches wouldn't hurt a turtle badly, if at all. Those weren't scratches. Those were gouges. I don't have any doubt that hurt the turtle quite a bit and I am quite frankly surprised it survived the injury.

[BlueCaliDem]

65. I'm surprised it survived it, too. Poor turtle.

I thought you'd seen the photos, that's why I was shocked you'd think carving into the plastron couldn't have hurt the turtle. But you're correct, scratches wouldn't have hurt it just as scratches on our nails wouldn't have hurt us.

Well, at least we cleared that one up!

[Enrique]

2. imagine being a turtle for 47 years

i bet it gets old at some point.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. awww.

[Enrique]

8. just a joke

i think it's the coolest thing in the world that turtles live that long.

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. .

[sakabatou]

6. Not for one person

[treestar]

10. rofl! nt

[backscatter712]

38. Some turtles can live to be 200.

They're pretty long-lived animals. It depends on the species, but some make it past 100 routinely.

[Whisp]

5. Dad finds turtle alive 47 years later

holding a carving knife, looking for the kid all those years.

[joeybee12]

7. Good for the turtle!

[a la izquierda]

24. My husband's comment:

Dad find turtle alive 47 years later, strangling son that had carved initials in the turtle's shell.

[MerryBlooms]

9. That's a heckuva spry 85 y/o guy.

[SirRevolutionary]

11. A heart-warming tale of a boy and his animal mutilation.

The old fella must be proud

[nolabear]

13. I'm not advocating it, but the turtle didn't feel a thing

and has no awareness of what happened. It used to be common practice among conservationists before tagging, which in some cases is more invasive physically. Kids do dumb shit. Give him a break.

[Warren DeMontague]

31. The "animal mutilation" took place before the beginning of the Beatles' psychedelic period.

And the turtle clearly survived.

I think it's time to move on.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

43. They should check the son's basement for hitch-hiker and hooker bodies.

We all know what animal mutilation leads to...

[Warren DeMontague]

44. George W. Bush used to torture frogs.

So, you may have a point.

[joeybee12]

12. Is doing that safe for the turtle?

Obviously didn't seem to harm this one, but is it adviable?

[nolabear]

15. Not advisable but if shallow not generally harmful.

As I said upthread I don't advocate it but shallow marking should be okay. Turtles get scarred by natural means frequently. That's what that shell is for.

[joeybee12]

41. I'm glad the kid went shallow...

You gotta wonder because kids aren't always that careful...I like the fact that the turtle is still going!

[NavyDavy]

14. I think this story is cool......I wish I cold find the cat with the cans tied to its tail I had when

I was a kid.......



hehehe Just joking.....I know it would be dead by now ; P

[Javaman]

16. Turtles maybe slow, but he's back and he's pissed. nt

[Luciferous]

34. lol

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. I have a desert tortoise that's nearly 40

The vet said I can expect it to live at least another 20 years or more. The thing just might outlive me. They make great pets. Mine is a gopherus berlianderii, very similar to the one in the photograph below.

[zazen]

19. really? can it distinguish you from other people?

I mean, seriously. Does it act like a mammalian pet? Come to you and not others? Get excited when you walk in the door?

I just have no idea what to expect from turtles, behaviorally speaking.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

21. It very much recognizes me

It recognizes my voice, face, and touch. I've taken it to several vets over the years and it typically hides in its shell if a stranger comes close to it or touches it. Same thing for strangers who come to the house. I can pick it up and its legs and head emerge from its shell for petting. When I stroke its head, it pushes it up into my hand, like a dog. It practically lets me do whatever I want to it without withdrawing into its shell; bathing, wiping, giving it shots, carrying it around the house or yard. If it walks across the floor and I call to it, it looks at me, and if I tap the floor with my hand it comes (because I then feed it). I hand feed it but it won't take food from anyone else. It doesn't get excited when I walk through the door, however, as its pretty slow. It communicates by blowing air through its nose, expressing either displeasure or fear (if I accidentally bump its shell) or relaxation (if I caress it). It can also make a high-pitched squeal in its throat when really frightened. Mine doesn't do tricks but I read about a tortoise owned by a guy posting on a turtle blog that would tip back on its hind legs and beg for ice cream.

[enlightenment]

27. A friend of mine had a couple of desert tortoises they raised from

practically eggdom. They used to come in and out of the house through the dog door - until the male got too big and couldn't make it through. It was embarrassing for him, I think - and you could almost hear the female behind him making nasty cracks about the size of his shell . . .

[zazen]

46. awwwww. . . that just makes me smile n/t

[JCMach1]

53. Our turtles will scratch at the sliding glass door to come inside

I am not kidding.

[Marrah_G]

61. that is really cool!

Are tortoises more people friends then turtles?

[Marrah_G]

62. umm one question.....

does it poop on the floor if you have it just roaming around?

[JCMach1]

66. Just for short times inside. the AC is too cold for them... makes them lethargic.

They are amazing. One of them once hibernated for over 1 yr.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

68. It usually poops at the same time every day - early in the morning

In spring after it awakens from hibernation I usually put it outside in the backyard during the day. I leave the back door slightly open because it likes to come and go from outside to inside and back outside again all day maybe to adjust its body temperature. At night I always bring it inside because I live near the ocean and, as a desert animal, it doesn't like the humidity outdoors we have at night. At night I always have it sleep in the same place, on paper with a wooden board above its head (turtles feel more secure that way), where it poops and pees early in the morning. When it pees, it often makes a high pitched whine in its throat. I feed it a variety of things. It loves cantaloupe melon and I give it one or two slices a day. I give it the greener kinds of lettuce like Romaine and red-headed lettuce. It absolutely adores flowers, especially pink roses from our rosebush and the yellow buds of dandelions. It likes to eat apples that have fallen from our apple tree, the more rotten the better. It also eats lots of plain grass from the lawn. Because I give it a lot of cantaloupe, it pees every day.

[Marrah_G]

69. Sounds like a very cool animal to have around

[Liberal_in_LA]

26. cool!

[Politicalboi]

29. When I was a kid

We had a couple of those turtles. We had about 4 of them. I think we had 2 males and 2 females. Sometimes I'd come home from school and find one turned over on his back from fighting with the other male. He'd be there with his leg or legs twirling around to try and turn over. I'd turn him over, and he'd let out a huge breath, and stroll off. The other male was busy mating with the females. They had babies one year, but we didn't know it, and we had a kiddie pool that was falling apart, and some of them drown from too much water on the ground. I don't remember what happened to them when we moved. I know we moved some with us, but they burrow in the ground, and go under fences to neighbors yards.

[Marrah_G]

48. Wow!

Okay that is really cool. How big do they get? What sort of enclosure do you keep one in? What do they eat? Do they recognize you?

I would love to hear more.

[longship]

18. Calling ASPCA!

Kids do sick fucking things sometimes. What's more astounding is that people actually think this story is entertaining. It is just another example of how sick society is.

I am appalled.

[randome]

22. Maybe you could browse the other posts before blowing a gasket.

It's likely the turtle didn't feel a thing.

[longship]

30. Maybe I did

It doesn't matter if the turtle felt anything. Carving your initials on an animal is fucked up.

[randome]

32. I hear ya.

[snooper2]

52. So what did you end up doing to that first crush you had

who put both your initials in a tree?

I bet that went down real well

[Logical]

37. And THAT is why most people don't like ASPCA!!

[longship]

42. I think people who attempt to justify carving ones initials on an animal are dispicible.

I am done here.

[Logical]

45. bye

[benld74]

20. Well, NOW the turtle KNOWS where the kid lives and,,

s-l-o-w-l-y will extract his revenge!!!

[Liberal_in_LA]

28. lol. Long walk to NY

[rhett o rick]

36. He's in no hurry. nm

[B Calm]

39. Just because tattoos are popular,

I still don't think it's right to tattoo animals without their permission.

[belcffub]

49. going to have to report my local SPCA then...

they tattooed my dog with an N in his ear just before we got him... betting he did not give permission for that... or the other thing they took away just before the tattoo...

[LynneSin]

50. Could you imagine if some religious nut-job found the turtle

OMG I found a turtle with JC engraved on it!!!

It's a sign that the Rapture is coming woohoo!

[Nye Bevan]

58. Is there a list of animals that it's OK to carve your initials on? (nt)

[Liberal_in_LA]

60. lol...no.

[NoGOPZone]

67. Must have been Rush Limbaugh

He keeps talking about how '65 was a great year and this sounds like something he would enjoy doing.

[uppityperson]

70. That is very cool to find the same turtle, alive.

Back in the day, 47 yrs ago, people did things like carve into turtle shells and paint small turtles shells before selling them to little kids to keep in small aquariums before they died.

I am glad that isn't so today. And I think it quite interesting, finding the turtle again after so many yrs.