Holland Cokeley, 85, of South Strabane, Washington County, was walking in the woods of his backyard with his neighbour’s dog, Zack. Zack began poking around at something and Cokeley realized it was a turtle. He didn’t think much of it, until he gave it a closer look.
“I picked it up, and I thought ‘Oh geez, this is Jeff’s turtle!’” said Cokeley. “It’s been here for 47 years, and it still has the same the same markings on it!” Jeff was 13-years-old in 1965 when he carved “JC” and “1965″ on the turtle’s bottom shell and then released it back into the wild.
Jeff Cokeley now lives in New York State, but began laughing when his dad sent him pictures of the turtle. Experts say under the right conditions in the wild, eastern box turtles can live up to a hundred years. Holland Cokeley kept it for a couple days and then released it, so it can wander for perhaps many more years.
With news video.
21 comments:
Cute story, but I'd go mad if I found my kid had started carving into a pet's shell.
Really that is a horrible this to do to a turtle. A turtle's shell is bone covered in basically the same stuff as your finger nails. It would have hurt.
Calm down Jeff.
I want to hear the story where the turtle comes back with a few friends and carves *his* initials in that sadsistic man's chest.
Although our current social climate might find fault with the carving...the fact is that its 47 years later and the turtle's still kickin! In fact, he probably used his "battle scars" throughout his youth to get up in the ladies halfshells.
for realz. having its shell carved clearly hasn't hurt the turtles longevity or survivability. the story isn't about "sweet, go carve up some shells", it's about "sweet, props to this Mad Survivor Turtle". The narrative is "against all odds" not "woe is me". sheesh. carry on
Does anybody know enough about turtle biology to know if this would have been painful for the turtle? Does the shell have nerve endings in the outer layers or is it merely hard keratinous tissue?
If it hurt than that turtle has endured a whole lotta pain every time it wakes up and drags itself through the world.
omg
What is wrong with you people? All you can say is whether the turtle was hurt? He's lucky he's still alive living in the wild all these years.
I am seriously worried about this country because of people like these posters.
Ofcourse he's not hurt.
He is a ninja turtle, after all.
Lost and lonely, he's been seeking out Leo, Ralph and Donatello... For 47 years!
Surviving on nothing but pizza.
And wishing he had April, this May.
What is wrong with so many of you. This was 1965. It was I different time and he was a young boy. Things types of things seem horrendous to us now but consider the source! Reflect instead in how amazing it is that this turtle remains alive and apparently well! Reflect on the serendipity of the father finding this same turtle and understanding it's significance to his family do many years later. I was appalled when I beheld the wonderment of this story on then discovered the foulness of the comments that followed. That's for all of you Debby Downers for ruining an alright trip.
Sure maybe the turtle was hurt when branded but I doubt it did any permanent damage. Even human beings get painful tatoos and we still brand cattle and things.
Realistically though, why do people outrage about turtle tatoos on the internet. You know there people getting shot, houses buldozed etc because of support for dictators by western governments so that people can get slightly cheaper oil, and raw materials for a short period of time?
Obviously there where no adverse effects to the turtle, there is a reason the shell is so tough, amazing story!
If the carving made the turtle suffer then that is bad and worth saying. Suffering is bad in itself and whenever it can be avoided it should be.
We can lament the turtle's suffering and at the same time rejoice that the little fellow has made it so long and is still going strong. It might outlive a significant number of us reading and writing these comments. Think about that!
That's Turpac! The Ninja Turtle who has tattoo's on his stomach.
It isn't a turtle, it's a tortoise.
How horrible a turtle may have felt some discomfort 47 years ago. Now let me run to the store and buy a Hershey bar so i can support slavery. Get some perspective people, for the love of god stop acting like fools.
Tortoises do have nerve endings in their shells, so they can detect pressure and the like, but they don't have nerve endings that can detect pain in the top layer of their shells, so shallow engraving doesn't harm them. Some wildlife sanctuaries have even started carving shallow serial numbers into the backs of tortoises' to prevent them from being poached and killed for their shells.
Calm down you lot, this is a story about amazing survival and surprising coincidences, not an opportunity for calling for death or dismemberment for the kid for being 'sadistic'. As above anon said - "sweet, props to this Mad Survivor Turtle"!
Jeff if that turtle doesn't stop screaming I am going to come out there and give you both what for!
Ok Dad i'm almost done. Jeez you can't even carve a turtle anymore with out catching hell from the old man.
You people raising h*ll over carving your initials into a turtle is absolutely ridiculous!!! I think it's a great story, proving it doesn't hurt them. My pap found one that he had done thirty some years earlier. I found one I put my initials on in 2002, 12 years later in 2014 at the top of the mountain he was released on. It doesn't hurt the turtle one bit. I've carved my initials an year into every turtle I've found. My Dad did an so'd my pap. You people crying over something so simple need to man up an quit acting like a bunch of bunny hugging hippies!!!
An besides that it's what boys do an have done for years. It's pretty sad when you hear about an amazing story like this all people can do is cry baby around like it hurt the poor little turtle that's still alive 47 years later. You people sound like a bunch of pansies!!! Grow the hell up an quit living in sissy dream land!!
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