A snapping turtle that had likely lived for decades in Pennsylvania is dead after children pelted him with stones. In September, rescuers with Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Chalfont found the large male under attack and took him in. The rocks broke open his top shell, leaving muscle and tissue exposed. Scars later appeared on his head, a sign he was struck there too. This week, the rescue announced he had died.

The rescue called it “truly heartbreaking to see his life cut short by the cruel and misguided actions of children,” according to Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.

No one knows who the children are. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been told about the case, but the rescue says officials can do little without more information. Unless people come forward, this act of cruelty may never be answered.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission should actively investigate, publicly call for tips from anyone who knows what happened, and make clear that harming native wildlife carries real consequences.

Accountability alone won’t stop the next attack. The Pennsylvania Department of Education should work with wildlife experts to bring lessons on respecting animals and native wildlife into classrooms, so kids learn early that animals feel pain and deserve protection.

Turtles have existed for over 200 million years, outlasting the dinosaurs. Pennsylvania is home to 14 native turtle species, and the common snapping turtle ranks among the largest. A creature with that kind of history should never die at the hands of children throwing rocks.

Sign the petition to demand a real investigation and wildlife respect lessons in Pennsylvania schools, before another animal suffers the same fate.