CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Don't throw out your old bras! Instead donate them to a North Carolina animal rescue group and help save turtles.
Carolina Waterfowl Rescue said it can use bra clasps to repair shattered turtle shells.
The group said it has seen as many as 40 turtles a week over the past month come in with damaged shells.
"Eighty percent of them are hit by cars," Keenan Freitas said. "The other five percent are hit by boats, the remaining are environmental."
If the shells of the turtles are damaged, Carolina Waterfowl Rescue must repair the shell before releasing the turtle back into the wild.
That's where your discarded unmentionables come into play.
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Bra clips can be used to help hold mended turtle shells into place. When the repaired shell is good to go, Carolina Waterfowl Rescue wears down the glue and the bra clasps pop right off.
"You can recycle something that would go into a landfill," Freitas said. "And I mean, they're helping a turtle. Who wouldn't want to help a turtle?"
Carolina Waterfowl Rescue said you can mail your donations to P.O. Box 1484 in Indian Trail, NC 28079. In addition to bra clasps, the following items are also needed: