Park Service Investigates Turtle Death On Ocracoke

Park officials on the North Carolina coast are seeking information after a nesting female loggerhead turtle was hit and killed by an off-road vehicle.

The National Park Service said on Friday that the turtle was killed on Ocracoke Island during the night between June 23 and 24. It was found by a turtle patrol around 6:10 p.m. on Thursday.

The park service said the turtle crawled out of the ocean and tried to lay a nest between ramps 70 and 72 on the island, which is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Under a court-approved consent decree, off-road vehicles are prohibited on the beach from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the turtle nesting season.

Loggerhead turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act and are listed as threatened.

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Source: http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/97183604.html

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