In May of 1977 a young boy captured an adult box turtle in New Jersey. For nearly 50 years this turtle lived in the family?s home, on the kitchen floor and was fed cat food. Poor traction on the slippery floor, severe dehydration from being in a dry home and improper diet have led to a disturbing outcome for this little turtle. Her claws grew upwards and backwards in curls, her joints became bowed, her skin became discolored and started sloughing off, her beak grew too much becoming disfigured and now her back legs are suffering from necrosis. We were asked to rescue this poor box turtle. After weeks of medical attention and proper care, Rockalina transformed from being so neglected and unrecognizable into an alert, strong survivor!

We are pleased to report that Rockalina's story has continued on to reach millions of hearts. Her story is not over, as she continues to recover and she has hit many major milestones including seeing the sunshine for the first time in 50 years!

By wearing this design you are helping to to celebrate her triumphs and most importantly sharing her story to help future wild turtles stay wild!