A group of women were caught stealing more than 20 turtles from Prospect Park Lake and stashing them into plastic bags, according to officials and a photo posted by an advocacy group.
The women were spotted “luring turtles out of the water” on May 3, at about 1:30 p.m., the group, W.I.L.D. for Prospect Park, said.
There were a total of nine bags of turtles with about 27 of the reptiles packed in. All of the turtles, which were a variety of red eared sliders, painted turtles and box turtles, were returned safely back to the lake, the parks department said.
One of the women was detained and issued a summons and a $1,000 fine, the parks department said. Three other women got away.
It is illegal to kill or harm animals in parks.
