Police in Wellsford are looking for the people who threw a turtle out of a moving car, which may have left it paralysed for life.
The turtle, which was flung out a car window on September 30, may succumb to its injuries, its caregiver fears.
The female red slider-eared turtle, named Lilly, was picked up by three Mangawhai residents on the Whangaripo Valley Rd near Wellsford after they saw it being thrown from a car in front of them. The car had been travelling about 110km/h.
The impact split the turtle's shell and it was bleeding and limping. It was taken to the Wellsford Vets and treated with antibiotics before holes were drilled in its shell to tie wire through and putty put over the crack.
Wellsford police are investigating and have again appealed for information.