WASHINGTON (Dec. 27, 2001) - An international rescue effort is
underway to save approximately 7,000 freshwater turtles and
tortoises confiscated by Hong Kong authorities earlier this
month. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and
Humane Society International (HSI) have provided US$10,000
toward the effort.
The turtles are scheduled to arrive in several shipments on
board United Airlines flights from Kong Kong beginning tonight.
United Airlines is shipping the turtles free of charge. Each
shipment will be met by a team of veterinarians and turtle
experts from the U.S.-based Turtle Survival Alliance, who will
evaluate each turtle and begin the process that will eventually
lead to placement in suitable homes for those turtles who can
be saved.
The turtles and tortoises were smuggled by air from
Singapore to Macau, destined to be killed for food in China. In
Macau, the turtles were loaded into four 20-foot containers on
a river boat and shipped to Hong Kong, where they were seized
on December 11. The turtles who survived were being kept alive
until they reach the market because restaurants and customers
prefer to purchase live turtles and tortoises, ensuring that
the meat and organs are fresh. However, The HSUS says this
practice results in inhumane treatment to the animals and
smugglers view dead turtles as little more than the price of
doing business.
"Turtles destined for the live food market are grossly
mishandled from the moment they are captured," explains Dr.
Teresa Telecky, Director of The HSUS Wildlife Trade Program.
"Captured turtles are not provided food or water for days or
weeks, and are kept in unsanitary conditions before being
crammed -one on top of the other-- into cardboard boxes for
shipment to markets."
The shipment was seized during a joint operation of the Hong
Kong Customs Ship Search and Cargo Command and the Agriculture
Fisheries and Conservation Department. Four men have been
arrested and may face penalties of up to one year imprisonment
and a fine of HK$500,000, which is equivalent to $64,100 U.S.
dollars. The shipment, the largest seizure of live turtles ever
in Hong Kong, is estimated to be worth over $400,000 U.S.
dollars. It includes approximately twelve species, of which
several are classified as Critically Endangered or Endangered.
Some of the species are protected from international commercial
trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species. The increasingly large market for live turtles and
tortoises in China is a significant threat to the survival of
these species.
Since the turtles and tortoises were seized they have been
cared for by Wild Animal Rescue Center of the Kadoorie Farm and
Botanic Garden in Hong Kong. The Turtle Survival Alliance, a
U.S.-based coalition of organizations pursuing turtle
conservation, has organized the international rescue effort.
The Turtle Survival Alliance team will include Dr. Barbara
Bonner Director of the Turtle Hospital of New England, based in
Massachusetts.
"A turtle rescue of this large a scale has never before been
attempted," said Dr. Bonner. "Unfortunately, because of their
poor condition, we expect mortality to exceed 95 percent."
Unfortunately, Drs. Telecky and Bonner say this shipment
represents only the tip of the iceberg. Many hundreds of
thousands of turtles are captured and traded in Asian markets
each year. "The Humane Society of the United States
congratulates and commends Hong Kong for seizing this
shipment." said Dr. Telecky. "Unless illegal traffic in
freshwater turtles or tortoises is stopped, these species will
become extinct in a matter of decades."
"Even the large number of animals in this rescue represents
only a fraction of the 20,000 - 30,000 freshwater turtles and
tortoises traded every two to three days in China," said Dr.
Bonner.
