An American student who set out to determine how to help turtles
cross the road ended up getting a glimpse into the dark souls of some
humans.
Clemson University student Nathan Weaver put a realistic rubber
turtle in the middle of a lane on a busy road near campus. Then he got
out of the way and watched over the next hour as seven drivers swerved
and deliberately ran over the animal. Several more apparently tried to
hit it but missed.
"I've heard of people and from friends who knew people that ran over
turtles. But to see it out here like this was a bit shocking," said
Weaver, a 22-year-old student at Clemson's School of Agricultural,
Forest and Environmental Sciences.
To seasoned researchers, the practice wasn't surprising.
The number of box turtles is in slow decline, and one big reason is
that many wind up as roadkill while crossing the asphalt, a
slow-and-steady trip that can take several minutes.
Sometimes humans feel a need to prove they are the dominant species
on this planet by taking a two-tonne metal vehicle and squishing a
defenceless creature under the tires, said Hal Herzog, a Western
Carolina University psychology professor.
"They aren't thinking, really. It is not something people think
about. It just seems fun at the time," Herzog said. "It is the dark side of human nature."
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