NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
25 August 2005
Sale of Red-eared Sliders Skids to a Stop
Bruce Ritchie
Democrat (Florida) Staff Writer
Small turtles were being sold at kiosks in Tallahassee's two shopping malls on
Monday despite a federal ban against their sale. Federal law prohibits the sale of
turtles under four inches as pets. Their sale has been banned since 1970
because of concerns that they transmit salmonella, a potentially deadly bacteria.
A Governor's Square mall spokeswoman said the lease for the Turtle World kiosk
where the turtles were being sold Monday was being terminated this week. She
declined to name the owner of the kiosk because of the mall's privacy policies. "I
cannot stress enough that our main concern was the customers," said Eileen
Walsh, marketing manager for Governor's Square. "Had we known this in
advance, we would not have leased to him. And when we found out, we took
action."
A worker at the Turtle World kiosk at Governor's Square Mall referred questions
to the kiosk owner at Tallahassee Mall. A worker at the Tallahassee Mall kiosk
told the Democrat that he wasn't authorized to comment and he hung up.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is sending out notices to malls, schools
and the news media about the ban, said Stewart Watson, public affairs specialist
in the FDA's Florida district office in Maitland. "For a long time when the law went
into effect people weren't selling the turtles as much," Watson said. "It seems in
the past year it has exploded a lot." Salmonella can be found on the outer skin
and shell surfaces of many turtles. Turtles under four inches are considered
more of a risk because they're small enough for children to put them in their
mouths, according to the FDA. Watson and a Florida Department of Health
spokesman said they were not aware of any contaminations in Florida caused by
turtle sales. However, six cases of illnesses in Wisconsin and Wyoming last year
were traced to the sale of turtles.
The illegal sale of small turtles carries a possible fine of up to $1,000 and up to
a year in prison, according to the FDA. Federal law allows the sale of small
turtles for "bona fide scientific, educational or exhibitional purposes, other than
use as pets." Both kiosks at malls in Tallahassee had signs saying the turtles
were being sold for educational purposes only. Watson said he couldn't comment
on whether the signs mean the sales are allowed because he said it's a legal
question.
At Governor's Square mall, the lease for the Turtle World kiosk was being
terminated because of the apparent violation, Walsh said. "Having a vendor say,
'this is a good learning experience' is not the same thing as having them sold
through an educational institution," she said.
Steven Darby, interim general manager of Tallahassee Mall, said he had spoken
with FDA officials about the ban as well as turtle experts. "We have spoken with
several people and are trying to make an informed decision with regard to the
turtles," Darby said.
Turtle biologist Dale Jackson of Tallahassee said Monday he had contacted mall
managers about the turtle sales. He's concerned the Red-eared Sliders have
been released into the wild and will harm native turtles. Jackson said he and
biologist Matt Aresco are filing a petition with the state to ban the sale of any
Red-eared Sliders, which live primarily in the Mississippi River valley and as close
to Florida as Alabama. They are related to the Yellowbelly slider, which lives in
Florida. Once released in Florida, they can breed with the Yellowbelly Slider to
create a hybrid subspecies, Jackson said. Red-eared Sliders also grow larger
than the Yellowbelly Slider and can out-compete them for food and basking areas
on logs, he said. "I think there is some value in people raising little turtles if it
gets them interested in reptiles," Jackson said. "But we don't need them raising
Red-eared Sliders if they are subsequently released in nature."
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