Smuggled Turtles Intercepted At Anchorage Airport

Most of the turtles belonged to species that are protected from illegal poaching and export, according to Fish and Wildlife officials. The reptiles were stuffed into boots, hidden away inside luggage bound for China, according to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa, one of the facilities to receive some of the animals. Sixteen turtles have already been sent to Iowa, including North American wood turtles, Blanding's turtles, and loggerhead musk turtles, according to NMRMA's director of living collections, Andy Allison. After centuries of overharvesting, Asian turtle species are hard to find, making American varieties more desirable and increasing the illegal turtle trade, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, which estimates that more than 2 million American turtles are illegally exported to China each year.

 

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