The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently charged two suspects for poaching thousands of Florida’s native turtles from the wild and selling them illegally in Florida, with international black markets as the final destination. It's the state’s largest seizure of poached turtles recent history. The FWC undercover investigation began this February after they received a tip. Investigators documented more than 4,000 turtles illegally taken and sold over a 6-month period.
According to the FWC the illegal commercialization of wildlife ranks fourth behind guns, drugs and human smuggling. The International Fund for Animal Welfare estimates illegal wildlife trade in the US at $19 billion a year.
More than 600 of the recovered turtles have been returned to the wild, including nearly 300 which are now part of a long-term monitoring project by the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. We're going to learn about that that monitoring effort, the illegal turtle trade, and the importance of healthy turtle populations, from Chris Lechowicz, Director of Wildlife & Habitat Management, and a Herpetologist at SCCF.
You can find his website dedicated to the natural history, status and enjoyment of the North American map turtles (Genus Graptemys) HERE.
