Yellow-bellied Slider Turtle
Yellow-bellied Slider TurtleiStock

Swastikas have been found painted on the shells of several turtles in a park outside Seattle, and local animal control officers are having trouble catching them.

Federal help is now being called in to help apprehend the tagged turtles, according to KIRO, a local TV station. The turtles are at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park. The swastikas appear to be painted in the wrong direction.

A rally against hate will be held at the park at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“This inhumane and offensive act has no place in our community,” read a tweet from the local office of the Anti-Defamation League.