A Brooklyn couple was outraged last week after discovering traps used to catch turtles in Prospect Park.
Ed Bahlman, 60, and Anne-Katrin Titze, 42, said they found cages while they were cleaning the park’s lake of trash and fishing lines. The traps were placed 25 to 30 feet into the lake and connected to wires on the shore.
“The fishermen said that the poaching is going on. There is no signage up to deter people,” Bahlman said.
Bahlman speculated the poachers are selling the turtles as pets or for food.
“I’m worried how healthy these turtles are if they are being used for food,” he said.
The city Parks Department has not received any complaints of turtle poaching but noted that trapping animals in parks carries a $1,000 fine.