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    Dove Key Ranch Wildlife Rehabilitation - Animal of the Month

    Turtle Tip of the Day - 4

    Top ten ways Texans can help our turtles and tortoises
    Tip 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

    by Bonnie Wroblewski

    4. Don’t keep chelonians as pets.

    Collection of turtles from the wild for the pet trade has endangered numerous populations of turtles and tortoises throughout the world. Within the Lone Star state, every species of sea turtle, Cagle’s map turtle, the Mexican Plateau mud turtle, the Texas tortoise, and the Texas diamond-backed terrapin are declining in numbers and are protected from harassment, death, and collection by law. Even in cases where it is legal to collect turtles from the wild to supply pet owners, ripping a chelonian out of its natural, wild environment is a theft on many different levels. Firstly, the turtle is being robbed of its ability to thrive and reproduce in the native home to which it has grown accustomed, an environment that fulfills its needs and exercises all of its instincts. Usually thrust from a world of diversity and freedom into a comparatively tiny tank prison with artificial light, inadequate resources, and a monotonous supermarket-supplied diet, captive turtles often perish long before their years from disease, malnutrition, or another consequence of captive housing. The stolen shelled life holds drawbacks for its native ecosystem as well. Every individual in the natural world represents a unique set of genes to be passed on to the next generation, contributing to future adaptations that we can only begin to imagine. Each life also plays an irreplaceable role in the ecosystem. All threads of the food web that are torn by the pet turtle’s confiscation weaken the integrity of the entire system. Lastly, collection of turtles from the wild is a theft of opportunities for the study of behaviour and beauty in nature for all Texans who share this chelonian-filled state. Turtles and tortoises can open our eyes to the wonder and brilliance of the natural world in which we live: from wildlife watchers searching for that rare species in its native habitat, to tubers lazily drifting down a winding river and chuckling at each “splunk splash” of a nervous basking slider off a log, to graduate students measuring and following diamond-backed terrapins to better understand how to conserve their dwindling populations, to a young child marveling at the three-toed box turtle trudging across the backyard like so many armored dinosaurs of the past. Each of these moments is stolen every time a turtle is collected to sit until its death in a barren enclosure in a store or as an oddity on a shelf in someone’s house.
    These turtles were among the 500 baby sliders and cooters for which Dove Key Ranch Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc. provided sanctuary following one of the biggest animal seizures in U.S. history. Arlington, TX-based U.S. Global Exotics, a pet distributor and supplier to such large chains as PETCO and PetSmart, had its stock of over 20,000 animals confiscated in 2009, following charges of inhumane and horrifying conditions as well as illegal collection of and trade in protected wildlife species.

    Even captive-bred turtles from the pet trade can pose a threat to wild Texas chelonians. Any turtle kept in a captive environment or that has had interaction with a turtle or tortoise that has been housed in a captive environment risks exposure to diseases that spread quickly in the cramped, unclean conditions that often plague pet suppliers and/or collectors. Once an illness is introduced into a naÔve group of wild chelonians, it can spread like wildfire, potentially wiping out the entire population or species. Tortoises that have grown too large to be convenient pets or turtles that have outlived the interest of their caretakers are often released into the wild. These unfortunate cast-offs of apathetic pet owners often die from starvation, exposure, or predation as they have no knowledge of their new habitat: where to find food, water, or shelter, for instance. However, in the short period of time during which they aimlessly roam their new environs, they will leave an indelible mark by contaminating the native chelonian residents with whatever bacterial, fungal, and viral infections they have accumulated in captivity.

    ALL turtles and tortoises, native or non-native, wild-caught or captive-bred need very specialized care as far as diet, UVA/UVB lighting, heating requirements, humidity levels, and housing (hiding spots, deep substrate for burrowing, number and distribution of basking areas, seasonal sociability, etc.). Unless you are ready to learn everything that is known about the natural history of and devote a great deal of money, time, and energy to your chelonian pet, stick to zoological collections, nature center educational animals, and free-living wild shelled ones to enjoy communing with these ectothermic wonders. And, if you’re looking for a truly low maintenance pet for little Bobby or Suzy, go with a goldfish.

    See Top ten ways Texans can help our turtles and tortoises
    Tip 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

    © Bonnie Wroblewski
    http://www.dovekeywildlife.org
    May 27, 2011
    More "Animal of the Month" Series

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