Reptile & Amphibian Forums

SUN-SENTINEL (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) 05 July 08 Hollywood-based firm accused of improper turtle sales (Vanessa Blum)
There's a new salmonella threat in South Florida and this time it's tiny turtles, not tomatoes.
Federal prosecutor Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald filed misdemeanor charges last week against a Hollywood-based reptile business. The business is accused of violating a public health law banning the sale of turtles with shells less than 4 inches long.
Strictly Reptiles, which claims to be the nation's largest wildlife importer/exporter, illegally supplied 400 undersized Mississippi map turtles and 600 Yellow-bellied sliders that turned up for sale at flea markets, kiosks and pet stores, prosecutors allege.
Congress enacted the ban in 1975, after public health investigations identified small turtles as a major source of human salmonella infections, particularly in children who liked to put the critters in their mouths.
A 2008 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tied a multi-state salmonella outbreak in 2007 and 2008 to exposure to small turtles. None of the 103 reported cases occurred in Florida.
"Prohibiting the sale and distribution of small turtles likely remains the most effective public health action to prevent turtle-associated salmonellosis," the report concluded.
Attorney Edward Carhart, who represents Strictly Reptiles, said the firm would likely plead guilty and pay a $5,000 fine rather than fight the charge. The company also has agreed to provide future purchasers of baby turtles with leaflets explaining the law, Carhart said.
Owner Michael Van Nostrand tried to comply with the law with store signs and printed warnings that the turtles could be used lawfully only for educational, scientific or exhibition purposes, Carhart said. The company mainly does business with other dealers and hobbyists.
During the investigation, federal agents seized about 7,000 turtles from Van Nostrand's warehouse, Carhart said. Van Nostrand could not be reached for comment.
It's not the first time Strictly Reptiles has landed in the cross hairs of Watts-Fitzgerald, a veteran federal prosecutor in charge of environmental enforcement for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In 1998, the company temporarily lost its license to import wildlife after Van Nostrand pleaded guilty to buying Argentine and Indonesian reptiles worth more than $350,000 that were illegally smuggled into the United States.
Van Nostrand served an eight-month prison term and paid $250,000 to the World Wildlife Fund.
Carhart said he thinks Strictly Reptiles is a favorite target because of its size.
"There's no doubt about it." he said. "They decided to make a point and go after the big boy on the block."
Hollywood-based firm accused of improper turtle sales

Well, the post that this was writen for is gone now. I am not seeing any black helicopters yet but it is kind of funny when someone post anything at all that tells the truth about agenda pushing and in any way proves it, the post just simply disappears. How can herpers make any lead way when we are not allowed to tell the truth or say anything at all about what is really happening here without getting jumped on and or censored?
We can't fix the problem if we ignore it and play like it isn't happening. Making people get rid of there animals and or not being able to breed the ones they have is wrong and yet it almost happened here in Texas with the box turtles. I understand bag limits and not to allow mass collection. But I do not see how stopping captive breeding is conservation. Making more of any species is not going to cause an extinction. To me it crosses a line when they try to shut down personal keeping and breeding. And yes, this really did happen. I know because this is what TP&W was telling me at first was that I had to get rid of all of my box turtles and not breed the ones left. For those that think agenda is not going to get pushed like this on the snake keepers, good luck with that. The ball is already rolling.
If any one academic or otherwise wants to work with me my door is and has always been open. They are the ones closing it in my face. Eric

Did any of the tomatoe growers get arrested? A studt done some years ago showed over 50 % of beef cattle have salmonella.
Some years back several kids died from eating at a fast food place (I am not saying there name but they are still open for sales). It looks like we work this out unless you have reptiles then you are a real bad guy. Nobody wants to see kids die and hatchling turtles are not good pets for kids anyway. But, I am wondering what makes the difference between tomatoes, hamburgers and hatchling turtles when it comes to the law and or the way we see this and deal with it? More kids have died from hambergers.
Don't get me wrong here I am not standing up for big dealers as they can pay for there own lawyers. But, there is a clear biased
in the thinking of this. Eric