Swastikas have been found painted on the shells of several turtles in a park outside Seattle, and local animal control officers are having trouble catching them.
Federal help is now being called in to help apprehend the tagged turtles, according to KIRO, a local TV station. The turtles are at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park. The swastikas are painted in the opposite direction from the Nazi swastika; in this direction, they resemble the symbol in its original non-Nazi use in Indian religions.
A rally against hate will be held at the park at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“This inhumane and offensive act has no place in our community,” read a tweet from the local office of the Anti-Defamation League.