Asian Markets

Not all cages are made of iron bars. Many freshwater turtle species find themselves enclosed on all sides by wooden crate panels or glass walls. Outside these prison walls, a busy market place flourishes, as masses of people congregate to purchase them. The turtles are marked for sale, part of a market economy that will continue providing turtles, so long as there is still profit to be made in the international market for food and medicine for impotence.

Southeast Asia remains the largest market for freshwater turtles, as approximately two tons of turtles are sold daily in Asian live animal markets. These Asian live markets are notorious for animal cruelty. Those turtles that haven’t already been crushed by the animals placed on top of them, frequently have their shells torn off their bodies while they are still conscious.

While a pound of live turtles will generally sell for about four American dollars, the ecological cost is considerably higher. Many of these turtles are endangered, protected under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Over fifty percent of all turtle species in Southeast Asia are endangered, while another sixty-seven of the ninety found are currently threatened. Four turtle species are now believed to be extinct. In order to satiate the demand for turtles:

“Turtles are speared, netted, trapped, caught with hook and line, and dug out of the mud during low water periods or while aestivating. Dogs and pit traps are used for many of the forest floor dwelling turtles including Cuora galbinifrons, Heosemys spinosa, Indotestudo elongata and Pyxidea mouhotii. Platysternon are captured on lines using baited straight pins” (Tortoise Trust).

The ecological effects of removing millions of turtles from their natural habitats will have an astounding effect on the ecological systems of which they are an integral part. Since many of these habitats are already severely stressed due to damming and mining activities, the poaching of turtles and their eggs makes the revival of turtle populations next to impossible.

United States

Unfortunately, live turtle markets are by no means limited to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other major South Asian cities. Live animal markets can be found in almost every major city in the United States, from New York to San Francisco. Even though, several states, including North Carolina, where 23,000 turtles were collected in 2002, have passed legislation protecting wild turtle populations from trade, 150,000 turtles are still exported from the United States every year. And hundreds of thousands more are sold within US borders. Due to pressure from animal welfare groups, California recently adopted AB 2479, protecting turtles under California animal cruelty. However, the statute does not protect non-native species of turtles, effectively leaving hundreds of thousands of turtles to continue a life of “injury, starvation, dehydration, and suffocation”, conditions that the statute is meant to prevent.