Australian men spark outrage after posting photo of themselves 'surfing' rare turtle

Turtles already have a survival rate of one in 1,000 reaching adulthood due to predators like sea birds, fish, sharks and crocodiles (AFP)

Two Australian men have sparked outrage after they shared a photo of themselves “surfing” a rare turtle on a Queensland beach.

The image of the Fraser Island beach was shared to Instagram by Rick Rogers with the caption: “'Surfed a tortoise on zee weekend. gnarly duddddeeeee," but was later deleted after the post received widespread backlash.

The men could now face a $20,000 (£12,500) fine for “interfering with a natural resource”.

The photo of two men 'surfing' a dead turtle has received widespread condemnation from social media users (Facebook)

However, despite the photo being removed, it was subsequently reposted by people hoping to track down the men.

One said: “A fine would be good, a big one. Cowardly idiot!”

“Are these dudes brain dead? What the f**k is wrong with idiots like this?” another wrote.

A Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services spokesperson confirmed that the matter is being investigated, according to local media reports.

“There is some evidence to suggest that this turtle was deceased at the time of the photo,” the spokesperson said.

“Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services are taking this matter seriously and investigating further. The maximum penalty for interfering with a natural resource is $19,965.”

However, an image of the turtle shared by Facebook user Tony Raistrick on Saturday appeared to confirm the turtle was dead.

“The turtle was definitely dead and looked like it had been dead for some time,'” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“It had black gunk coming from its mouth.”

However, many critics claimed the turtle being dead did not change the callous nature of the act.

“Regardless if this animal is alive or not this is clearly disgraceful. First of all it’s a turtle not a tortoise. Second these animals have such a high mortality rate to begin with yet they still have to contend with ignorant fools like you,” one user wrote.

“The point is, dead or alive, these men are promoting animal cruelty on social media which is not okay,” said another.

Tourists have long posed a problem for certain species of rare turtles.

Up to 70 per cent of turtle nests on some beaches to the west of Queensland have been destroyed by inconsiderate tourists, according to Louise Stone, land and sea coordinator with Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council.

"It's always been a problem and in the last couple of years it's been worse because we get more tourists," she told ABC.