Image courtesy of telukkiluan.org

As three sisters boarded a plane from Atlanta to Milwaukee after a weekend with their dad, they were told by AirTran Airways crew members that they would not be able to board the airplane with their two-inch baby red ear slider. Instead, crew members told them they had to throw the turtle into the garbage as they refused to watch it while the girls’ father drove back to the airport to retrieve it.

“I asked, ‘What do you mean get rid of it?’ and they said throw it away,” said Carley Helm during an interview. “I was very sad, and I felt bad for my littlest sister because it was her first pet and she was planning to take care of it herself.”

AirTran claims that the choice to throw the turtle in the garbage was the girls’. The airline reportedly offered them a later flight at no extra charge.

“I basically had to make a really fast decision because the whole plane was being delayed,” Rebecca Helm said to a reporter. She thought her dad would easily be able to find the tiny animal in the garbage bin where she placed it as it was not very full.

It was discovered on Wednesday by the airline that their ramp supervisor out of his own compassion had rescued the turtle from the trash.

The turtle was reunited with the girls and all was well in the end. The girls’ mother reported the incident to PETA.

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