I think you are missing the point Tony. It is not turtles that are farmed raised for the purpose of being eaten that are the problem here (or even turtles like our native snapper in the USA which is very abundant).

It these endangered species that are being harvested from the wild at alarming rates that is the problem. These animals are in danger of becoming extinct and yet they are being harvested from the wild for the food trade.

In this country the diamondback terrapins are being harvested in huge numbers and many times the restrictions on what can be taken out of the wild are ignored. This could seriously affect some of the wild populations of these animals over time.

Yes -- meat is meat and no one has the right to criticize someone for chowing down on a turtle while they sit back and eat a chicken leg. But chickens are raised for the purpose of being eaten and many of these turtles are pulled from a finite population in the wild.

As for turtle being good for you -- I question that idea --
I did buy a diamondback terrapin from Chinatown and have been rehabbing her for over 9 months now. I got her and she had fungus, shellrot, SCUD (ulcers under her skin), pinworms and whole host of other things going on. Is it really healthy to eat an animal that is caught from the wild and put threw so much stress that it is literally rotting from the inside out by the time you get it to your table?

Steve

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