Horrifying Images Emerge Showing People Riding On Sea Turtle

They're huge, they swim vast distances, and they're almost like an oceanic taxi service. Other creatures, including fellow sea turtles, will sometimes hitch a ride as one swims through the depths.

In video purportedly shot earlier this month on an Indonesian beach, several people are seen mistreating a poor sea turtle who had come ashore to lay her eggs.

It's one thing to hitch a ride on a sea turtle in the near-weightless environment of water, but this turtle is on a beach. There's no way it's healthy for a full-grown adult to put their weight on its shell.

The group goes from treating the turtle as a curiosity to outright antagonizing it. It begins when they throw sand at the animal. They then go on to manhandle and push it.

The group includes both adults and children. Considering how much behavior is learned from elders, it's tough to see impressionable kids being exposed to this kind of cruelty at such a young age.

Trying to escape her tomenters, the turtle tries to waddle back into the water. But she's unable to as the group stands on her flippers and holds her tail, pinning her in place on the beach.

The World Wildlife Fund lists the leatherback sea turtle — the same type of turtle seen in this video — as 'vulnerable', given its rapidly shrinking numbers in recent years.

Owing to their size and tough shell, not many aquatic creatures mess with these turtles. But they become vulnerable when they come ashore to lay eggs — particularly when a group of cruel humans awaits them.

It's believed to have been filmed on July 5 at Asukweri Beach in Indonesia. But there's no word on the identity of the turtle tormenters, or whether local police have made any arrests.

This video is a tough watch, so only click play if you're ready. Let us know what you think should be done to discourage this kind of thing from happening in the future.