20 Years of Dying and Dead Turtles and Frogs Is Enough
American Tortoise Rescue spent years trying to get California Fish & Wildlife to stop importing non-native turtles and frogs into California for the Asian live food markets around the state, to no avail. Every time we were close, Asian politicians would storm the governor’s office or just go after the Fish &Game commissioners who would get cold feet. They claim it is a matter of tradition. So was binding feet and shark fin soup, both outlawed here. Here’s a summary written by my colleague at Action for Animals – Eric Mills. He, Madeline Bernstein at spcaLA and our nonprofit American Tortoise Rescue are the main entities that have been working against the practice for 20 years. When will it stop? After 20 years of vigorous debate, in 2010 the Commission twice voted unanimously (5:0) to ban the importation of live frogs and turtles for human consumption, receiving more than 3,000 letters of support from various environmental and animal protection organizations and several state legislators. Former Secretary of Resources Huey Johnson wrote twice. In a bizarre twist of politics and disregard for our natural resources, then-director of the Dept., John McCammon, announced that he would continue issuing the import permits on a month-to-month basis. Challenged by an irate Commission, then-DFW deputy director SonkeMastrup responded, "The Director acts at the pleasure of the Governor." So much for the democratic process. Makes one wonder what the Governor's "pleasure" truly is. Here's an example of racial, cultural and financial politics at its worse, all at the expense of our native wildlife. The Department absolutely has the authority to stop this harmful commerce. That's why they are called permits . California annually imports some two million non-native American bullfrogs for food. Most are commercially-raised in Taiwan. Plus an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 nonnative freshwater turtles, are all taken from the wild, depleting local populations in other states and Mexico: mostly red-eared sliders and various softshell species, some recommended for CITES Appendix II protection. More than three dozen necropsies have shown that all the market frogs and turtles are diseased and/or parasitized, though it is illegal to sell such products for human consumption. Where's the Health Department? Fish & Wildlife's own rules (California Code 236) require that any such shipments be quarantined, destroyed or sent back to point-of-origin, all at the expense of the importer, not the department. There is near zero enforcement, not for lack of funding or manpower, but for lack of will. Most anyone can readily buy these animals alive from the markets, though such sales are illegal. When released into local waters (also illegal), the exotics prey upon and displace the natives. Worse yet, the majority of the bullfrogs test positive for the deadly chytrid fungus, Batrachochytriumdendrobatidis (Bd), which has caused the extinction of 200+ frog and other amphibian species worldwide in recent years. The bullfrogs generally do not succumb to the disease, but they certainly do disperse it, putting our native wildlife in grave danger. Easy fix - stop the imports. The European Union allows the importation of only frozen frogs parts for human consumption. The U.S. should follow suit. The Department issued its own "White Paper" in November 2014, suggesting that a total important ban was the most viable solution to the bullfrog problem, yet has failed to act. In that same year, with only three of the five members present, Commissioner Richard Rogers made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Jim Kellogg, that the issue be sent to the State Legislature for resolution, over the vehement protest of Commission president Mike Sutton. Reminds me of a quote from the late political pundit Molly Ivins: "For anyone to enjoy the state legislature, you need only a strong stomach and a complete insensitivity to the needs of the people." This problem is a matter for the Department, not the State Legislature. 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 american tortoise rescue 30745 PCH, #243 Malibu, CA 90265 http://www.tortoise.cominfo@tortoise.comwww.worldturtleday.org Facebook: American Tortoise Rescue and World Turtle Day Twitter @tortoiserescue YouTube AmericanTortRescue Instagram: TortoiseRescue Tweet These Quick facts
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 abive). 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 Turtles are miserable in tanksTweet this Turtles carry salmonella which can make people sick or even kill themTweet this Turtles prefer calm to chaosTweet this They No Longer Serve The Original Purpose When There Was No Refrigeration American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), along with several other animal welfare groups, has been trying to close down the “wet” live food markets for the same reasons that the SARS epidemic closed the live markets in China. There, as in the U.S., animals are kept in horrendous and unsanitary conditions before they are eaten…no shade, upside down, crowded beak to beak and claw to claw, with no food or water. Some of these animals are threatened or endangered species. We cringe at the obvious mistreatment of these creatures. Blood and feces tests and necropsies on these animals, including rabbits, turtles, frogs and fish reveal salmonella, TB, leprosy and a range of other zoonotic diseases easily transmitted to humans. ATR repeatedly brought evidence since 1997 to a variety of local, state and federal agencies to no avail. California Fish & Wildlife, USDA, Los Angeles County and California Health Depts. among others have deliberately stayed away from this political hot potato because closing them would mean angering Chinese voters. The USDA official I spoke to said, “Lady. We don’t inspect fish. Why would we inspect turtles?” The argument used by the vendors and buyers is that live markets are a Chinese tradition (o.k. before refrigeration in China and elsewhere, live food markets made sense, but that excuse no longer holds water). "Culture" and "tradition" justify nothing. To quote a good friend of mine, Action for Animal’s Eric Mills, "There's a lot of crime done against animals in the name of diversity." Should we defend human slavery or female genital mutilation on the same grounds of tradition and culture? They've been around for a long time, too. Our reason for closing the live markets is two-fold – to prevent Chinese and other shoppers from getting sick with serious and sometimes fatal symptoms resembling the flu, and to prevent the inhumane treatment of helpless animals. Overlooking these logical reasons for our concern, we have been labeled racists throughout California and elsewhere. It is not surprising that when there is no legitimate defense, pulling the race card is always easy. We call on government officials to close live markets here in the states. Please help us in our efforts – contact your congressman or senators via email and ask that live markets in your city and others be closed immediately based on the outright cruelty to animals. Further, we ask that you inform your veterinary associations, as members in good standing, to consider this a critical issue that must be addressed now. Thank you. 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! Contact american tortoise rescue 30745 PCH, #243 Malibu, CA 90265 http://www.tortoise.com info@tortoise.com www.worldturtleday.org Facebook: American Tortoise Rescue and World Turtle Day Twitter @tortoiserescue YouTube AmericanTortRescue Instagram: TortoiseRescue Documents & Links Quick facts
American Tortoise Rescue Calls for a Moratorium on Sales
Turtle and tortoise wildlife groups and rescue organizations throughout North America, led by Malibu based American Tortoise Rescue (http://www.tortoise.com), are calling on the pet industry, reptile wholesalers and private breeders to stop the sale of giant tortoises commonly called sulcatas. Geochelone sulcata is a hardy and personable species of tortoise. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, it became part of the lucrative pet trade during the 1990s. It has an engaging nature, is attractive and sells for anywhere between $50 and $1,000. These traits make it one of the most commonly purchased pet tortoises in North America. Unknown to the unwary buyer, however, is thatsulcatas are the third largest species of tortoise in the world weighing up to 70 - 200 pounds, attaining this size in a very short period of time. Adult female sulcatas can easily produce 50 –100 eggs a year. It is not unusual to see hundreds of hatchlings for sale at reptile shows even though selling any turtle or tortoise in the U.S. under four inches is illegal. According to Susan Tellem, co-founder of American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), the sale of sulcatas today is similar to the pet trade's large-scale sale of iguanas during the early to mid-90s. Many people bought cute baby iguanas not realizing that they would grow to as long as six feet and become aggressive. Just like iguanas, Sulcata breeders and pet stores that sell them create problems that other people, especially reptile rescuers, have to solve. "The pet industry constantly looks for small, adorable exotic animals with a big price tag," Tellem says. "We've conducted a survey of sulcata owners about what they were told when they purchased their tortoises. Whether at a pet store or reptile show - the answer is the same. 'It won't get bigger than its tank.' This is patently ridiculous and often a deliberate lie.” Tellem says, "New owners quickly become aware of the difficulties associated with having a potentially destructive non-housebroken animal of this size. A fully-grown sulcata is strong and aggressive and can easily move furniture and damage or destroy a typical house or apartment wall. When they start to dig up the property, it looks something like a mine field." She added that because sulcatas do not hibernate, they need expensive housing through the winter using commercial pig blankets (lights are not effective), and because their feces are so large similar to a German Sheppard’s, keeping them in the house is not an option for most people. Tellem, who founded the nonprofit ATR 20 years ago with her husband, Marshall Thompson, says, "Many owners assume that when the tortoise becomes a problem, zoos will take them. This is simply not true. Zoos are not interested in cast-off pets." Tellem says that the zoos, instead, refer people to her rescue, as well as others. She has placed hundreds into good homes but it is not the answer because it is not easy finding places with a half-acre or more, which is what a sulcata needs. Based on the record number of hatchlings and juveniles sold in pet stores as compared to hundreds in the 90s, this bred a catastrophe of unwanted pets. Tellem says that the option of placing the animal with a rescue organization or rehabber sounds good to most overwhelmed owners. Unfortunately, of those thousands of cute tortoises that are sold every year, rescue organizations can only take a few of them once they are huge. "Since the Sulcata can live 50 years or more, and because the males fight when placed together, overcrowded rescues run out of space. At that point, there is no solution," says Tellem. Tellem adds that some owners mistakenly think that they can sell the huge animal for a large profit. "There is no market for adult sulcatas," Tellem says. "The only options remaining are to dump the animal in the wild where they will definitely end up dead, or to give it up for adoption to a rescue group." She added that her rescue is full as are most others and so the only option is finding a compassionate adopter who is willing to put up with the destruction. Aside from the potential for a slow death by freezing or starving that “dumped” sulcatas face, there are other problems. These include infecting native wildlife with parasites and foreign diseases. This could result in the eradication of already threatened nativespecies. There is also the issue of introduction of yet another non-native species into a precariously balanced ecosystem. Tellem and Thompson say that breeders won't turn their backs on an obvious money making machine. "So what we request is simply market driven economics. People shouldn’t buy sulcatas. Pet stores should stop selling them. Reptile shows must have a 'no sulcata' policy. Only then will breeders have no choice but to stop breeding them," the pair agrees. There are many national rescue organizations listed on the ATR website www.tortoise.com all of which can facilitate sulcata adoptions if people are interested in getting one. 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 us on Twitter @tortoiserescue and on Facebook. 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 3,000 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
Most Frequently Dumped Turtle is Red Eared Slider American Tortoise Rescue(ATR) is “drowning” in requests to rehome abandoned water turtles, most commonly red eared slider turtles. ATR is asking pond owners in all 50 states who would like to have turtles to step forward and offer their ponds as forever homes for these gentle creatures. Red eared sliders, easily identifiable because of the red stripe next to their eyes, are the most common turtles given up for adoption. While they are non-native in certain states like California and Oregon, they enter the adoption system from impulse buys at pet stores, foreclosed real estate, animal shelters, the Asian live food markets, mercadoes and reptile shows. Some are illegally given as prizes at carnivals. The popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles caused thousands of kids to want turtles, but sadly the children quickly lose interest when the new pets don’t fly or jump through the air, so many suffer neglect or abandonment. Susan Tellem, who founded the nonprofit 27 years ago with her husband Marshall Thompson, says the best situation for sliders is a private pond, real or artificial. Turtles can live comfortably with koi and eat the same food. Some people use plastic horse troughs or baby swimming pools, but the sides have to be high enough so that the turtles cannot escape, and they need to be protected from predators like raccoons with electric fencing or some other barrier. Because turtles can live 25 years or more, adoption is a true commitment. Tellem says, “Out rescue sliders have names and are very personable. It’s wonderful to see them basking in the summer sun.” During the winter, turtles hibernate under water for four or five months even under iced over ponds, so no feeding is necessary making them easy to care for. We recommend homes without small children and dogs. Children forget to wash their hands, and turtles can carry salmonella. Schools are an absolute no for this reason. Tellem says that dogs think turtles are chew toys, sometimes leading to painful and debilitating injuries or even death of the turtles. “People still get tiny green turtles in a plastic carrying case with an artificial palm tree at street fairs, pet stores and as prizes at events,” said Tellem “Unfortunately, no one tells the potential owner that these turtles grow to be anywhere from six to 12 inches long and live long lives, instead of staying that cute little quarter size.” She estimates that about 95 percent die within a year because buyers are not given proper care instructions by sellers. Since 1974, its been illegal to sell turtles of any kind anywhere in the U.S. if they are under four inches long, a law that has been largely ignored. The law was enacted to prevent children from putting tiny turtles in their mouths and exposing themselves to salmonella, which many of the turtles carry. Further, in some places like Los Angeles, buyers are also fined for purchasing the illegal turtles. They are sold illegally in places like Santee Street in downtown Los Angeles, but ATR along with other groups have been working hard to have sellers arrested. In addition, ATR has worked for more than 18 years to ban the importation of red eared sliders into the Asian live food markets because they often end up being purchased by good hearted people trying to “save” them. The California Fish & Wildlife Commission has failed consistently to enact a ban which resulted in the death of many California native pond turtles. This may change at an upcoming Commission meeting in late April 2017. To offer your private pond as a new home or to rehome your own turtle, we suggest posting a flyer at your veterinarian with a photo and details, as well as at local pet stores. Do not advertise your pet on Craig’s List. About Us American Tortoise Rescue is a nonprofit founded in 1990 for the protection of all species of turtles and tortoises. We have rescued and rehomedmore 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 american tortoise rescue 30745 PCH, #243 Malibu, CA 90265 http://www.tortoise.com info@tortoise.com www.worldturtleday.org Facebook: American Tortoise Rescue and World Turtle Day Twitter @tortoiserescueYouTubeAmericanTortRescueInstagram: TortoiseRescue Quick facts
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