Ventura police arrest man for torturing tortoise

According to a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.

Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. The FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970s, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children. Other research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association considers animal cruelty one of the diagnostic criteria of conduct disorder.

Tortured Tortoise Recovering
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The attacker or attackers tried to get the animal out of its shell, officials said.

"They threw this 40-pound turtle against a brick wall. You could see blood where the leg was (hurt) ... they tried to rip the leg out of the shell," police Sgt. Jack Richards said.

Razor blades also were used to cut the leg, Richards said, but Bob's tough hide and heavy musculature foiled that. He had three deep wounds to his neck and legs, including one that went through his thigh, along with lesser stab wounds to his shell.

He has been confined to a tub with a fly-proof cover and had a feeding tube in his neck.