American Tortoise Rescue , the international nonprofit for turtle and tortoise protection, is asking consumers to not buy live animals, especially turtles and tortoises. Adopt please! Here’s a list of rescues in the U.S and elsewhere http://www.tortoise.com/need-a-rescue.html.
According to Susan Tellem, co-founder of the sanctuary, while these wonderful reptiles have outlived the dinosaurs, wide spread illegal smuggling and the commercial pet trade in turtles and tortoises has devastated wild populations worldwide. Many once thriving species are now threatened or endangered. Worse, some are now extinct. "The pet industry thrives on small, adorable exotic animals with a big price tag," Tellem says. "What we are recommending is to avoid impulse buys. We understand the appeal of an adorable two inch baby turtle!” Tellem adds, “But most animal rescues have many turtles and tortoises ready for adoption to good homes.” Tellem gives five reasons why people shouldn’t buy a turtle or tortoise.
She adds that a domesticated pet cannot be put back into the wild. It will die or introduce disease into an already precarious wild ecosystem. In many states, it is also illegal. Tellem says that the option of placing the animal with a rescue is not always the answer, as her rescue is full as are most others. The best solution is to find a compassionate adopter who is willing to give a proper “forever home” to the pet. There are many national rescue organizations listed on www.tortoise.com which can facilitate adoptions if people are interested in getting an animal. One way to enjoy a turtle or tortoise without harming them is to make a donation to a nonprofit like American Tortoise Rescue. “This allows us to educate people and care for the ones that are ill in our sanctuary. If a donor makes a $100 donation or more, we send them an adoption certificate featuring one of our permanent residents, and it’s good for one year. People enjoy that because they can care for the animal vicariously,” Tellem says. American Tortoise Rescue, Malibu, Calif., is a nonprofit founded in 1990 to provide for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle. For more information, contact: American Tortoise Rescue at www.tortoise.com ; or email info@tortoise.com . Follow on Twitter @tortoiserescue and on Facebook. Tellem started World Turtle Day® 17 years ago which is now celebrated globally (and is trademarked). Find out more at www.wroldturtleday.org and on Facebook and twitter. Quick facts
© 2016 American Tortoise Rescue Reptiles can make children and adults very ill. In September, school bells start ringing all over the United States. And so do our phones. Teachers are calling American Tortoise Rescue asking if they can have turtles or tortoises for their classrooms, most commonly red eared sliders, a water turtle, or a Russian tortoise, a land tortoise (pictured). Our answer is always the same. Absolutely not. Why? Because having one in your classroom or the schoolyard can be fatal to both your child or the turtle or tortoise for several reasons. 1. Reptiles of all kinds can carry a disease called Salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterial infection that generally infects the intestinal tract and occasionally the blood stream. Symptoms include mild to severe diarrhea, fever and occasionally vomiting. While healthy adults may show no symptoms of Salmonella even if they are infected, children under five, pregnant women and the elderly are at risk of serious illness or even death from Salmonella infection. This is immediate red flag to nursery school and grade school teachers considering turtles or other reptiles for their classrooms. An exotic pet veterinarian told us that a teacher is a sitting duck for a lawsuit should any of the children in the classroom get infected. “Teachers know the risks, so if a parent were to sue for a million dollars (much more if the child dies), the parent will win.” It is not worth the risk. 2. Turtles and tortoises are quiet wild animals that prefer not to be in the company of humans, especially lively young children who shriek, over-handle and chase animals. Even when children are closely supervised, accidents can and do happen. Turtles get dropped, stressed out or die. 3. A turtle or tortoise or any wild animal confined to a tank is living a miserable existence – it’s a death chamber. It’s like you or me living in a bathtub for the rest of our lives. Tanks are for fish. These creatures are used to living outside where they can get the sun and food they are used to. Most people have little factual knowledge about turtles and tortoises even with the Internet – in fact the Internet has so much incorrect information it is often confusing to someone who is trying to do a good job caring for these animals. What is very disturbing to us is that many schools already have turtles and tortoises as classroom "pets." Turtle are wild animals, not pets. Even after we educate principals and teachers about the risks to the children and the animals, turtles remain in close contact with the children. When there have been cruelty complaints filed with us about the poor housing and living conditions of turtles and tortoises in schools, educators still have refused to relinquish the poor animals…cases in point - several well-known preschools schools and one children’s workshop in Southern California. So please, parents, persuade your teachers to relinquish the turtles and tortoises to a responsible turtle rescue. Don't let them expose your children to a serious illness. It can be a matter of life and death. About Us American Tortoise Rescue is a nonprofit founded in 1990 for the protection of all species of turtles and tortoises. We have rescued more than 4,000 since our inception. Foundlings that cannot be adopted because of ill health remain in the care of ATR for the remainder of their lives. ATR acts as a clearinghouse for information about turtle care. We work to abolish “live market” slaughter of turtles in the US, the sale of reptiles on sites like Craig’s List and the cruel importation and exploitation of a variety of species. Celebrate World Turtle Day every year on May 23rd! Contacts
Quick facts to tweet
Myth 1: Turtles are easy to care for – just buy a nice tank.
False: Turtles are wild animals. They have territories that can be many miles wide. Putting them in a tank is cruel. Think of it this way: it’s like spending the rest of our lives in the bathtub. A turtle needs a large habitat or a pond to approximate nature, not a tank. Myth 2: Turtles usually live about five years. False. In captivity, a well cared for turtle can live 25, 50 or more years. These animals have been on the earth for 200 million years, longer than dinosaurs. They might have to be in your will and maybe even your children’s will. Myth 3: Turtles do not need veterinary care like dogs and cats. False! The problem with turtles is because of their very slow metabolism, they do not show signs that they are sick until the illness has progressed. The signs and symptoms you should be very aware of include: Closed and swollen eyes, loss of appetite, sitting in one place looking miserable, daily pattern changes and runny nose and eyes. If any of these are observed, see a vet immediately. Myth 4: It is best to buy turtles and tortoises at a pet store. Absolutely false. Pet stores should sell pet supplies not pets. Pet stores might buy their turtles from cruel trappers. About 90 percent die in transit. Get your turtle the same place as a dog or cat. Go to the nearest animal shelter or find a reptile or turtle rescue online. Myth 5: Turtles hide under plants to hibernate. Some do, like box turtles. Some hibernate under water like red eared sliders and cooters. Each species has its own habits. Whichever it is, your turtle should be healthy and heavy before it is allowed to go to sleep for the winter. Myth 6: Turtles hiss like snakes when they are mad. While it is true that the sound a turtle makes sounds like it is hissing, it is not. When a turtle is afraid or picked up quickly, it pulls its head in really quickly and this action forces the air out. It is biological, not deliberate. Myth 7: Turtles can eat just about anything False. Turtles are carnivores that must eat live food like snails, fish and worms. You can also feed them prepared turtle food from a pet store. They should not be fed hot dogs, raw hamburger and cat food - stuff that they would not normally find in the wild. Water turtles can only eat under water. Myth 8: Tiny water turtles stay that size. False! Those small green water turtles that you see in plastic containers with fake palm tress are hatchlings that will grow up to be any where from six to 12 inches. It is illegal to buy or sell them in the US while they are under four inches. Myth 9: Washing a turtle gets rid of salmonella. False. Assume that every turtle no matter how clean is carrying salmonella. It is important to wash your hands after handling the turtle or its water, keep turtle things away from the kitchen and keep turtles out of homes where children under six live. Myth 10: Turtles can live happily with artificial light. False. Turtles need real sunlight to be able to grow normally and to have strong bones. Turtles deprived of sun get a condition known as metabolic bone disease where their bones disintegrate. A basking turtle in the sun is a happy and healthy turtle. For more information, visit www.tortoise.com . About Us American Tortoise Rescue is a nonprofit founded in 1990 for the protection of all species of turtles and tortoises. We have rescued more than 4,000 since our inception. Foundlings that cannot be adopted because of ill health remain in the care of ATR for the remainder of their lives. ATR acts as a clearinghouse for information about turtle care. We work to abolish “live market” slaughter of turtles in the US, the cruel importation and exploitation of a variety of species and protecting the desert tortoise. Quick facts to tweet!
For 200 million years, much longer than the dinosaur, turtles have roamed the earth in search of food, a protective habitat, a safe place to hibernate and, of course, love. These gentle creatures have hardly changed in their journey across the millenniums, but something deadly is creeping up on them.
Because of habitat destruction, the exotic food demand and the relentless pet trade, biologists and others who study reptiles predict their disappearance in 50 years or so. It’s hard to imagine that this incredible survivor will be gone without a trace. Jeffrey E. Lovich, National Biological Service, examined population trends in the U.S. He notes that there are few long-term studies. But of the 55 native turtle species in the United States and its offshore waters, 25 (45%) require conservation, and 21 (38%) are protected or are candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Of the remaining 46 turtle species (aquatic and semi-aquatic forms), 16 (35%) require conservation action. The percentage of U.S. turtles requiring conservation action (45%) is similar to that of the world (41%). Of course, we can blame overpopulation and global warming and all the other ills affecting our planet. Those in turtle conservation point to a more economic threat to the world’s turtles, especially in Asia. A workshop on the Asian Turtle Trade was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in December 1999. One of the recommendations was that all Asian species of freshwater turtles should be considered for listing on at least Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora). Why Asia? Many Asians eat turtles and think that they have sexual or medicinal powers. So millions of U.S. turtles are being exported for food since, I like to say, the Asian nations have eaten all of theirs. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle April 15, 2007, writer Shannon Tompkins recently visited China where she was offered, live and otherwise, turtle in various dishes. This trip peaked her interest in the turtle trade. She discovered something those of us in the turtle rescue business have known for years…tens of thousands of Texas turtles are ripped from the wild and shipped to Asia. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department which handles the permits for these transactions, said that each year about 95,000 wild-caught Texas turtles are being collected for food and for the pet trade. Snapping turtles, red eared sliders, softshells and others are the most popular for the live food markets. According to Tompkins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that “256,638 Texas turtles were exported through the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, alone, from 2002-05” and the majority were destined to end up on a plate. This same humungous harvest goes on in the southern states, Mexico and elsewhere every day throughout the year so it is no wonder that we will not see any more turtles in the years to come. But turtles are not just being eaten in Asia. Live food markets exist in major U.S. cities and current “immigrant bashing” sentiment prevents enforcement of existing laws or confiscation. With the burgeoning immigrant population in the U.S., many of whom do not or will not shed their third world ways, we are seeing live food markets springing up throughout the U.S. in every major city as well as small ones where there are concentrations of Asian immigrants. Based on the idea that fresh is better (Hello? Refrigerator anyone?), the demand for fresh killed turtles is on the rise throughout the U.S. further depleting the supply. At the markets, turtles are upside down, with no water or food, often the hot sun. Children are seen touching them risking salmonella, or hitting them with sticks. Cities with cruelty laws don’t enforce them even though this is obviously a violation. Some cities require that the turtle be killed on site at the market but this is not enforced which means that the turtle will suffer in the hands of the buyer. They are hard to kill quickly. While American Tortoise Rescue and other groups have been aggressively working to put an end to this barbaric practice, we have been thwarted by the inaction, and in many cases disinterest of government bodies that are supposed to conserve wildlife not throw it to the lions. What can you do? Sign every petition that aims to protect wildlife. Protest at Fish & Game and U/S. Fish & Wildlife meetings. Report cruelty if you happen to see it. Don’t buy turtles at pet stores – adopt instead. Volunteer. Be loud and vocal and relentless in the fight. |
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