release

[themeyers]

Ok so this starts with me checking my fb today. I see that a friend in fl who has kept a tortoise that is native to fl. but was cbb. they decided that they couldn't take care of it any longer, so they decided to release it. now I feel this is wrong, wrong because who knows what they could be giving to the wild population. and a few other reasons. so I decided that I would post here to see if any one else agrees with me. I know it is native but that doesn't change the fact that it is a cbb and the hobby should never ever condone such behavior (just my 2 cents) I haven't replied to the post yet because I was about to get super hate speech on them and I don't want to completely rid myself of a friend that goes back to grade school. but the more I think about it the more I don't want to be associated with them. Please share your thoughts.

[Zoo Nanny]

For starters what they have done is illegal. I agree with you it's wrong in so many different ways. The poor tortoise is going to die if it doesn't figure out how to be wild. Your friend needs a good slap upside the head.

[Akuma223]

Sounds to me like your friend needs a good kick in the a$$!!!

[EL Ziggy]

Everybody makes mistakes so I try not to judge others too harshly. I respect and value ALL life, and I don't mean to minimize any potential negative impact, but I hope that one cbb tortoise released into the wild isn't going to disrupt the Floridian ecosystem too much. Do your best to educate them on the dangers/risks but ultimately, unless you volunteer to rehome the animal, it's your friend's decision to make. I wouldn't disown a close friend because they did one thing I really didn't like. Just my 2 cents.

[Jim Smith]

I'm with El-Ziggy on this one. It is better to educate than to alienate. I agree with you that it was not the right thing to do for many reasons, but I suspect that he thought that what he was doing was setting it free. I'm not sure what its chances for survival are, but even if it does survive the winter, I seriously doubt that it will have a significant impact on the local population. Make this event an opportunity to educate your friend without chastising him for making an error. You never know the impact that may have as he passes along the information to others considering the same thing. Just my two cents worth.