May 24, 2012
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.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP0--06-24-10 1726WDT
