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THE TENNESEAN (Nashville, Tennessee) 19 August 06 Turtle Derby bows to law, will stop giving racers away (Ian Kriegish)
Longtime fans at the 58th Annual Turtle Derby in Ashland City may be a little shell-shocked this year.
For the charity event, the local Lions Club imports 30 turtles from out-of-state and races them — complete with $10 sponsorships — down the 4-foot course at an average speed of 15 seconds.
The tradition has been to hand the turtles over to local children or release them into a local pond, but not this year.
After the event on Aug. 26, organizers say they will return the turtles to a North Carolina company that breeds them. Why? Because of a 1977 law in Tennessee that forbids private ownership of turtles or releasing them into the wild.
Organizers were not aware of the law until The Tennessean called this week to ask about the event.
"We'll do away with that practice," said Turtle Derby Chairman Joe York, who has helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars to help disadvantaged Cheatham County residents pay for eye exams and glasses.
Ownership of turtles is banned because the animals' skins and shells are commonly smothered in salmonella, a dangerous bacteria common-
ly associated with food poisoning, said Walter Cook of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
"We don't want anybody to contract salmonella," Cook said. "We don't know what (the turtles) have been exposed to or what their genetic makeup is. Releasing them into the wild could create a biological disaster."
The possession law exempts institutions that use turtles for scientific or educational purposes, such as zoos, aquariums and universities.
However, Cook said, "There is a legal way to (race turtles)."
Cook said the Lions Club in Johnson City also runs a similar event, but after the turtles meander across the finish line they are crated back up and returned whence they came, a completely legal venture. The Johnson City event has special rules for handling the turtles with gloves and taking other precautions to avoid contracting illness.
In Ashland City, organizers have sold 700 sponsorships so far as they continue working toward their goal of 950 for this year. Each turtle races numerous times, and sponsors get to rename them each time.
Clyde White of Ashland City sponsored the winning turtle in 1995's derby.
"A little boy that wanted the grand champion took him home," said White of the turtle, which he named C.E., after his daughter.
At first, he was surprised to hear about the law, saying, "Well, I can't understand why a turtle would be illegal when you can own exotic birds, snakes, dogs, cats, horses."
When informed of the rationale for the law, however, he said, "I'd say then that it's a good thing, and everybody ought to know that if children can get sick from it. You wouldn't think about something like that, but when you find out the exact reason, it's a good thing, and I'm glad they're doing it. We don't do enough to safeguard our children anyway."
Turtle Derby bows to law, will stop giving racers away

Oh yes, SMOTHERED in salmonella.*eye roll*