New Hampshire wildlife officials are urging the public to stop painting turtle shells, even if people are doing it with good intentions.
Fish and Game officials on Tuesday shared photo of a snapping turtle with a florescent orange shell in Perch Pond in Campton.
“Often this is done with good intentions — to make the turtle more visible if crossing a roadway. But turtle’s shells are living tissue and paint toxins can not only get into into their bloodstream, it can also reduce their ability to absorb sunlight and can make them more visible to predators,” Fish and Game officials said in a Facebook post.
Officials also noted that there are seven different species of turtles that are considered native to New Hampshire.