Butt-eating Gympie turtle sparks litterbug outrage

'You'd think smokers would be minding their p's and q's a little bit more closely, especially given they're upset about the legislation already.'

Gympie resident Susan Terry spotted a turtle eating a cigarette butt in Lake Alford. Picture: Susan Terry

A TURTLE seen attempting to eat a cigarette butt tossed carelessly into the ponds of Lake Alford recently has left at least one Gympie region resident fuming at the culprit's "disgusting" behaviour.

Tamaree local Susan Terry had ventured to the popular hangout to celebrate her grandchild's birthday party when she noticed multiple turtles trying to eat the discarded butt, pausing only to take photo evidence before taking up the task of fishing it away from their prying mouths.

Gympie resident Susan Terry spotted a turtle eating a cigarette butt in Lake Alford. Picture: Susan Terry

Mrs Terry didn't mince words for those responsible, slamming the oft-used "lack of bins" excuse.

"I just thought it was a bit disgusting, really," Mrs Terry said.

"You'd think smokers would be minding their p's and q's a little bit more closely, especially given they're upset about the legislation already.

"There was a bin right nearby. There are plenty of bins around. I think that's a bit of a cop out.

"There were a few turtles there and they kept trying to eat it. It's not good enough."

Mrs Terry said removing the butt had been an arduous and unnecessary process.

"It was too far out for us to reach ... we had to wait for it to float across so we could use a tree branch to grab it and get it out."

She added the sight of the turtle trying to feast on the toxic letter had "really bothered" her grandkids, who encouraged the resulting rescue mission.

Do you think Gympie has a littering problem? Have you seen some particularly bad cases? Let us know by emailing [e-mail].