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The short explanation of this alert was:

The sale of turtles who are smaller than 4 inches in diameter has been banned in the U.S. since 1975—and for good reason. Prior to the ban, approximately 280,000 cases of salmonellosis from exposure to baby turtles were reported in the U.S. every year.

Shmurfect's/Creative Commons

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the ban has prevented 100,000 children from becoming infected with salmonella every year. The consequences of salmonellosis can be tragic: This year, less than three months after a bill that would lift the ban on turtle sales was introduced by U.S. Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, a 4-week-old infant in Florida died of salmonella exposure from a pet turtle, a tragedy that prompted the Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning to parents.

According to a May 14 article in The Times Picayune, "Most, if not all, reptiles carry salmonella in their intestinal tracts and pass it through their feces. The bacteria can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea, and fever in healthy people and can be deadly for those with vulnerable immune systems."

Baby turtles are usually purchased on a whim by uninformed people. Usually, these animals are bought as pets for children who quickly lose interest in caring for them. Turtles can easily live to be 40 years old, and when they become adults—which happens quickly—and their novelty wears off, owners frequently tire of caring for them and, in the best case scenario, abandon them at animal shelters. Often the animals are "turned loose" outdoors, where they are not equipped to fend for themselves and usually perish or become a menace—and a possible disease threat—to local wildlife.

The bill introduced in Congress as HR 924 and S 540—also known as the Domestic Pet Turtle Market Access Act of 2007—is strictly about money. An estimated 78 commercial turtle farmers in Louisiana—who form a $9.4 million industry that raises and sells millions of baby turtles in the U.S. and beyond—stand to gain an estimated $300 million every year if this dangerous legislation passes. Currently, Louisiana turtle farmers breed 10 million turtles annually—mostly for export—and 75 to 80 percent of these animals are shipped to China. The turtles are shipped in extremely crowded conditions, and those who survive are then killed for their meat. If the ban is lifted, even more turtles will suffer.

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Please contact the committee today and politely urge it to leave the current ban as is—for the sake of children, animals, and the environment.

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