DAVENPORT, Fla. — A Davenport man believes a gopher tortoise may have been killed by fireworks and placed in his yard.

  • Man fears tortoise found could have been killed by fireworks
  • FWC officials investigating how the tortoise died
  • One group believes tortoise appeared to be far too decomposed to have been killed New Year’s Eve

Chris Martin said his wife was shocked to find a dead gopher tortoise in their backyard on New Year’s Day.

“She actually found it right here on the property and the day before I had to water all of these palm trees, and there was nothing here,” said Chris Martin.

He fears fireworks could've killed it.

“It was black in the inside and its head was sticking out and it had no arms and no legs. There were people all eve, lighting fireworks inside the field, and we saw the tortoise it appeared to be charred,” Martin said.

George Heinrich with the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust looked at Martin’s photos of the dead tortoise and told Spectrum News the tortoise appeared to be far too decomposed to have been killed New Year’s Eve.

Officials with Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they are investigating this incident. They’re hoping one of their biologists can determine how the tortoise died.

Regardless of how it died, Martin wants to know how it ended up on his property.

He believes someone put it there in retaliation for his efforts to protect tortoises and the hundreds of nests behind his home.

“I’ve called FWC so many times because people will out there driving around in trucks and using 4-wheelers,” Martin said.

Because he’s been so outspoken, construction on new homes in the Aviana neighborhood has been delayed.  Homeowners were recently notified their HOA fees would increase as a result.

Since the gopher tortoise is considered a threatened species in Florida, the FWC said it is illegal to handle, harm, or relocate them without a permit.

The agency is now asking anyone with information on this case to come forward by calling the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922. Callers may be eligible for a reward.