Martin Nowak
Martin's Snakes
“Turtle Races: A Threat to Wild Turtle Populations?”
Turtle racing remains fairly common in the U.S. It is a terrible practice and detrimental to chelonian populations. It seems no species is exempt from such activity. In some situations, these races foster poaching and placement in the pet trade and herptile trade. For those that are released after a race, there are no assurances they will be released back to where they were captured. Herptile keepers should be vehemently opposed, vocally opposed, and write local authorities against the practice.
I place turtle racing in the same bucket as poachers, venomous free-handlers, and other illegal activities and individuals participating in any such activities.
“Among the animal groups affected by modern declines in biodiversity, chelonians stand out, with more than 50% considered imperiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Lovich et. al. 2018; Stanford et al. 2018). Turtles in the United States are a representative microcosm of what is happening at the global level, with chelonian declines being attributed to road mortality, disease, habitat loss, and commercial and recreational collecting (Garber and Burger 1995; Klemens 2000). Even relatively common species have experienced declines, which is attributable to the high annual survivorship needed to maintain steady turtle populations, where even small increases in annual mortality can trigger a tipping point toward population declines (Shine and Iverson 1995; Midwood et. al. 2015). Here, we present an overlooked cultural phenomenon in the United States, turtle racing, that presents a threat to North American turtle and tortoise populations if not properly addressed.”
Herpetological Review 2024, 55(1), 11-18
https://webapps.fhsu.edu/ksherp/bibFiles/31884.pdf
Turtle racing remains fairly common in the U.S. It is a terrible practice and detrimental to chelonian populations. It seems no species is exempt from such activity. In some situations, these races foster poaching and placement in the pet trade and herptile trade. For those that are released after a race, there are no assurances they will be released back to where they were captured. Herptile keepers should be vehemently opposed, vocally opposed, and write local authorities against the practice.
I place turtle racing in the same bucket as poachers, venomous free-handlers, and other illegal activities and individuals participating in any such activities.
“Among the animal groups affected by modern declines in biodiversity, chelonians stand out, with more than 50% considered imperiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (Lovich et. al. 2018; Stanford et al. 2018). Turtles in the United States are a representative microcosm of what is happening at the global level, with chelonian declines being attributed to road mortality, disease, habitat loss, and commercial and recreational collecting (Garber and Burger 1995; Klemens 2000). Even relatively common species have experienced declines, which is attributable to the high annual survivorship needed to maintain steady turtle populations, where even small increases in annual mortality can trigger a tipping point toward population declines (Shine and Iverson 1995; Midwood et. al. 2015). Here, we present an overlooked cultural phenomenon in the United States, turtle racing, that presents a threat to North American turtle and tortoise populations if not properly addressed.”
Herpetological Review 2024, 55(1), 11-18
https://webapps.fhsu.edu/ksherp/bibFiles/31884.pdf