Man who posed for turtle 'surfing' snap claims he’s an animal lover

A Gold Coast man who became a social pariah overnight after standing on a sea turtle to take a selfie claims he’s an animal lover.

Ricky Rogers, 26, told the Fraser Coast Chronicle he had been visiting Fraser Island when he spotted a turtle on the sand.

“We pulled over to help it because we thought it was stuck and as we got closer realised it was dead," Mr Rogers said.

"Not thinking we hopped on it for five seconds and got a quick photo and left."

Social media were quick to lambast the pair in the photo after it was published to Facebook.

“Fraser is one of the most beautiful, untouched places on our planet. The wildlife is amazing. Why go to a place like that if you have zero respect for it,” wrote one user.

“Dead or not it's still wrong and inhuman (sic), like do we think it's acceptable to stand on the back of a dead human being? No. So it's not alright to stand on the back of a dead animal," another wrote.

Rogers said he is concerned with the interest his photo has garnered from critics across the globe.

“I never thought it would end up being so big," he said.

“I am an animal lover, I don't even let people kill spiders. This is what social media does to people - ruins names over false and misleading information."

Despite claims he would face charges for his actions, Rogers said he should not receive a fine because the turtle was dead.