Dear Editor,

I am appalled that the parents of Ian, David and Hanna Dorman are allowing their children to catch and hold captive turtles in cages in their backyard.

The parents must realize that this is a form of animal abuse and the city of Helena should protect their wildlife and not allow children to take the animals out of their habitat; it sounds like they have made a game out of it to see how many they can cage in their backyard.

This is totally appalling and should be addressed. The turtles should be released back into nature where they belong to relieve the suffering they are going through right now for the pleasure of children. These parents need to teach their children respect for nature!

These turtles have suffered enough.

Your reporter that wrote this story should do a story about ecology and how animals need to live in their natural habitat, not in cages in 100-degree heat when they are used to living in flowing water.

WG Curry

Alabaster