FWC officers bust largest turtle trafficking ring seen in FL, free hundreds of reptiles
(read the official FWC press release here)
The arrests were more than two years in the making, following a February 2018 tip. In the following months, surveillance and investigations revealed a well-organized ring was illegally catching turtles on both private and public land to sell to large-scale distributors overseas.
In one six-month period, the poachers sold more than 4,000 turtles, totaling some $60,000, said FWC investigations head Grant Burton at a Friday press conference in downtown Fort Myers.
Species taken included striped mud turtles, diamondback terrapins, Florida box turtles, eastern box turtles and Florida softshell turtles.
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
India: zoos protect, breed Asian brown tortoise (Manouria emys)
Ecology
USA: red tide bloom makes its way to southwest Florida bays
USA: washback season for hatchling and juvenile sea turtles
Education
Canada: reptiles preparing for winter in Ontario
New Findings
Study: “Movements, connectivity, and space use of immature green turtles within coastal habitats of the Culebra Archipelago, Puerto Rico: implications for conservation”
Question or Concerns? Want to submit an article to get posted? Email us at [email protected].
Photo from News-Press.
