LUFKIN DAILY NEWS (Texas) 18 December 06 Mall kiosk told it can't sell turtles (Hina Alam)
Two tiny Mississippi Map turtles swam in a shallow tub as inquisitive teenagers looked on. Beside the tub, a sign read, "These turtles are not for sale."
As people looked on and asked questions, the manager of Skippy's Turtle, Belinda Bryan, explained the issue patiently, repeatedly.
"We don't have a license to be able to sell turtles," she said.
Around 5 p.m. Monday, officials from Lufkin's Animal Control department came over to check the license of the kiosk. They took the 26 turtles that the store had and said the business could have them back once it got its license, Bryan said.
Attempts to reach city animal control officials for comment Monday evening were not successful.
Sherri Ziegenhals, marketing manager of Lufkin Mall, said the mall's owners are "very confident that all of our stores definitely comply with all rules and regulations in operating them."
Bryan said her company applied for a license Monday morning. While the headquarters of Skippy's Turtle in Dallas had a license from the FDA to sell the turtles, the Lufkin kiosk did not, she said.
According to the FDA Web site, the sale or commercial distribution of viable turtle eggs and small turtles — with a carapace length less than four inches — for use as pets is banned. The ban applies to small turtles because they are most likely to be sold as children's pets, and the idea is to protect children from turtle-born salmonellosis.
The turtles being sold at the kiosk were between 1 and 1 1/2 inches, Bryan said. The store sold about 126 turtles in the last two or three weeks, she said.
"They're very popular," she said.
The Mississippi Map turtle can best be identified by the crescent-shaped light spot behind the eye that prevents the neck stripes from reaching the eye, according to the Web site of the The Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management (http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu). The skin of the turtle is olive to brown and is marked with many narrow yellow stripes along the legs, tail, chin and neck. The eye of the Mississippi Map turtle is white. The carapace is brown and the plastron is more patterned than that of the False Map turtle.
A small framed orange ruling by the FDA sat next to the tub where the turtles swam.
"Prior to any purchase, you must certify that you are purchasing a live turtle only for a legitimate education or scientific purpose," it stated.
One of the other workers at the kiosk, Randy Crow, said, "People just pretty much buy them for anything ... pets."
Other than turtles, the store also sells hamsters , fish ecosystems and bait fish. The kiosk will be getting two yellow belly pythons next week, Bryan said.
"We'll have our license by tomorrow morning (to sell turtles)," she said.

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