AN animal charity is appealing for information after two injured tortoises were abandoned outside a Winchester zoo.

The Hermann tortoises were dumped in a plastic container outside Marwell’s doors earlier this month.

They were rushed to a vet after their shells were found to be cracked and bleeding – it is thought they were bitten by a dog.

The pets are now recovering at the RSPCA’s Stubbington Ark branch and the charity is appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Two women, one older with blonde hair and a younger woman, were seen carrying a purple container towards the entrance of the zoo at around 9.10pm on July 1.

The container was left covered with a plastic sheet that looked like a pond liner and weighed down by a dog bowl.

The animals were inside lying on blood-soaked newspaper and actively bleeding.

An anonymous letter was left with the pair saying that due to financial hardship the owners could no longer care for the animals. It said the injuries were caused by the family dog who bit them whilst playing weeks before they were left at the zoo.

RSPCA inspector Jan Edwards said: “I understand that people sometimes experience difficulty and hardship when owning pets and I do believe that the owners of this pair were desperate. In this case the owners were clearly sorry, and were fond of the animals.

“They clearly thought that they were doing the right thing but the reality is that these animals were left overnight with pretty nasty injuries and it is unacceptable to allow them to suffer in this way.

“The fact that these injuries were also caused some weeks ago by their pet dog also means that the tortoises would have been in significant pain for a long period of time.

“It is every pet owner’s duty to ensure that their animals are kept safe from harm and also to ensure that, in unfortunate circumstances like this, people seek the appropriate help to safeguard the wellbeing of their pets.”

Anyone with information should call the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.