Wuhan student returns to pet turtle after 8 months

[Catherine]

The Wuhan student only planned to be gone a short time. He left his turtle alone with some food and water. After 8 months alone the turtle had died and had dried out to just a skeleton.


https://www.ladbible.com/news/news-stude...n-20200908

Two things come to mind. If you have to be away, you need someone to take responsibility for your pet.
It is not good enough to leave food and water and a pet all alone. Anything could happen and in this case something did. 
It was negligent to leave the turtle like that. Knowing he couldn't get back he could have alerted an animal rescue group in the area. There were people going into homes rescuing animals in the early part of the lock down.  It is horrible to think what that turtle went through. 

The turtle was an alligator snapping turtle and a baby one at that. So my second point is that the turtle was not being properly cared for in the first place. 
Alligator Snapping turtles are carnivores and they need water. The turtle was not in a tank full of water and how could he leave a supply of fresh meat for the turtle. It would not have done well under his care anyhow. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alligator_snapping_turtle

The alligator snapping turtle is such a beautiful species. They can live a very long time. It is a serious responsibility to take one on. Clearly this student was not prepared to meet the turtle's needs both during the pandemic and even before. That little turtle should not have ended up like that.

[Catslave]

That's too sad.

[Catherine]

There were a lot of stories of people rescuing pets in Wuhan. This could have been another rescue story. I wonder what he thought he would find after 8 months.