Another illegal smuggling operation has been thwarted by U.S. wildlife officials. Last month, a man pleaded guilty to coordinating the trafficking of North American turtles to China. He was arrested in February after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (along with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service) documented him and an accomplice purchasing over 300 wild turtles from dealers around the U.S. over a 13-month period. Fortunately the turtles were seized before being exported to China for the illegal pet trade.
Many of the seized turtles were sent to the Turtle Conservancy where we are providing long term care. Unfortunately there is currently no mechanism to return these animals to the wild.
