Cops fear a tortoise could have been set on fire in a horrific killing after the pet’s charred remains were discovered in a Paisley park.
The remains of the reptile were found by a 25-year-old man who was out walking in Durrockstock Park in Foxbar.
He came across a circle of stones containing fire that was still smouldering and noticed what he thought was a burned lump of wood in the embers.
However, on closer inspection he realised it was the remains of a tortoise and called police to report the upsetting find - which he discovered around 5pm.
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Officers in Paisley are currently treating the death of the animal as a crime and are urging any members of the public to come forward with information to help determine how the tortoise came to be in the park.
An investigation is currently underway into the circumstances of the incident, and officers fear it could be a horrific case of animal cruelty.
The breed of the tortoise is unknown, but it has a shell size of roughly 20cm to 22cm.
Inspector Tracy Harkins, Renfrewshire’s deputy area commander, said: “We do not know at this time how the tortoise came to be in the park or how it died.
“We fear this animal may be someone’s pet and they may be missing it.
“We are looking into whether this animal was already dead and the owner’s had taken it to the park to cremate the body.
“However, there is also a concern that the tortoise was found killed in a horrific manner and we are extremely keen to gather any information which can help us with this.
“If there is anyone in the local area who knows who this tortoise belongs to I would urge them to please get in touch to help us determine what has happened.
“We are currently investigating and are treating it as a crime at this time.”
Anyone who has any information in relation, which happened on Saturday, to this incident is asked to contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
