08/25/2026
WARNING: extremely upsetting content!
Earlier this season we were sent pictures of turtle crossing signs in Hillsborough that had been damaged or taken, with aggressive hand-written signs put up in their place.
Little did we know how seriously this situation would spiral out of control.
In June we were contacted by multiple people in Hillsborough who were witnessing a disproportionate amount of turtles being run over in the area, often around a half dozen or so a day. Certain areas have a higher rate of mortality when wetlands are bisected by a road, but this was a very high number of mortalities, especially for a dirt road.
Eventually a person was witnessed purposefully and repeatedly running over turtles that were crossing the road to nest, all during the height of the protected nesting season. The ecological damage sustained by the local turtle population through this man’s callous actions is immense.
And the cruelty didn’t stop there. At about 10pm on June 12th, we were contacted by neighbors who had witnessed this man pick up a female turtle who was in the middle of laying her eggs, put her in the road, and STOMP on her. We were aghast that someone could do something so depraved and wicked.
The turtle was still alive, and our gracious turtle transport volunteer Jim from Peterborough drove out to Hillsborough to collect the injured turtle and bring it to our clinic. He arrived after midnight, and we immediately began emergency care for this poor turtle. We did not get much sleep that night because of how upsetting the entire ordeal had been.
Thankfully, the turtle survived, and we named her Oka. Since she was in the middle of laying eggs, we had her radiographed, and found that she still had one egg left in her that she wasn’t able to lay before getting stomped on. Through induction, we were able to help her get that last egg out, which we put in our incubator, but was unfortunately not viable. Her injuries will require her to stay with us through the winter to fully heal enough to be released back to her home.
Even after this event, the cruelty continued as this person continued to drive around and wait for turtles crossing in his area, targeting them with his vehicle.
NH Fish and Game was made aware of the issue, and a Conservation Officer was dispatched to gather more information and surveil the area where the incidents were occurring.
A decoy turtle was set on the road, and the CO witnessed the same person very intentionally aiming for and running the decoy over. The CO had all the evidence necessary to charge the man with multiple infractions.
Charles “Chuck” Puccio, Jr. a 78 year old resident of 668 Bog Road in Hillsborough, was charged with of misdemeanor-level Cruelty to Wild Animals, Fish, or Wild Birds, along with two violation-level offenses consisting of taking a species of indigenous turtle during the closed season, and an unlawful method of take of a reptile.
Puccio pled guilty to these charges in court on August 18th, and was convicted on all three counts. He was fined $620 that will be returned after a year of good behavior, along with about $250 in court fees and a permanent record of the convictions.
The cruelty to wildlife charge should have been felony-level, but NHFG is only able to charge up to a misdemeanor on its own. The Hillsborough County District Attorney wasn’t moving forward with the felony charges, so NHFG did the most that they could.
We sincerely hope that the lesson has been learned, and that the turtles of Bog Road will no longer face the threat of this unhinged individual. Only time will tell.
We are so appreciative of the amazing people in the area who helped pursue justice for these turtles, and the incredible work of the NH Fish and Game Conservation Officer who took this seriously from the beginning and dedicated time to this cause. As awful of a situation this is, we are grateful to be able to work with such incredible people in the state dedicated to protecting wildlife.
