Μake us preferred on Google A wildlife abuse case has sparked outrage in northern Greece after four tortoises were found covered in orange oil paint in the Thessaloniki suburb of Efkarpia, while five more were discovered being kept illegally as pets at a nearby home.
According to local reports, the case came to light after residents alerted the Hellenic Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Team. Stelios Geronymakis, a representative of the organization, said he visited the area on Saturday to investigate a report involving the illegal captivity of five tortoises when he discovered four additional tortoises in the yard of a neighboring house covered in orange oil-based paint.
Geronymakis said the residents did not provide clear answers about how the tortoises ended up in their yard or who had painted them.
Regarding the five tortoises found at another nearby residence, the occupants claimed they had collected the animals from areas affected by wildfires in order to protect them.
However, the captivity of native tortoise species is prohibited under Greek law, and keeping them in private homes can pose risks to both the animals and humans.
The four painted tortoises were taken by the Forestry Service to a wildlife rehabilitation center, where they will undergo a specialized cleaning process because the oil-based paint could be highly harmful.
Geronymakis explained that a tortoise’s shell is living tissue and that chemicals contained in the paint can be absorbed into the animal’s body, potentially causing severe damage to its internal organs.
The remaining five tortoises were released back into their natural habitat.
