[VIDEO] A Group Of Men Took Turns To Ride A Leatherback Turtle As It Struggles To Escape
One man even placed his feet on the turtle's head.
By Timothy Tuan — 11 Jul 2019, 05:08 PM
A video recording of a number of people riding a leatherback turtle in Indonesia recently went viral
The leatherback turtle had earlier laid eggs on the beach before the group of men spotted it
At the beginning of the video, an elderly man could be seen posing while he sat on the poor animal.
Behind the elderly man and the turtle, a man could be seen holding what resembles a tree branch while two other men stood watching.
Throughout the video, each of them took turns riding the creature as it continued to struggle to crawl
The second person riding the distressed turtle could be seen snacking when another man and his toddler joined the ride.
At one point in the clip, a different man even placed his feet on the animal's head.
Towards the end, as the turtle was nearing the sea, a man in bright yellow pants stepped on its flippers.
Leatherback turtles are listed as a vulnerable species by WWF
As a leatherback turtle is named after its shell, the shell is leather-like and not as hard as the shells of other turtles.
According to AOL, Indonesia does set regulations on protecting sea turtles and has advised locals not to disturb the turtles.
However, local authorities have yet to release a statement about the incident that took place.