POMONA - Taking care of a pet turtle requires responsibility.
But housing 71 rare or endangered turtles, tortoises and frogs smuggled into California - and being used as evidence in a court case - demands a whole lot more effort.
A Cal Poly Pomona biology graduate student as well as a instructor are the caretakers of the 71 exotic animals allegedly smuggled into the United States by two Japanese men earlier this month.
Federal prosecutors said the turtles, tortoises and frogs were hidden in snack and food boxes in a suitcase confiscated Jan. 7 at Los Angeles International Airport.
"When I took out one of the Indian star tortoises, its legs were like toothpicks - emaciated, in desperate need of water
Animals in care
Here's a list of 71 live turtles, tortoises and frogs being cared for at Cal Poly Pomona:
15 flyer river turtles
14 snail eating turtles
11 Chinese soft shell albino turtles
9 stripe-necked musk turtles
2 albino sliders
5 flap shell turtles
3 Chinese big-headed turtles
3 pacman frogs, one arrived dead
1 black-knobbed map turtle
1 Florida box turtle
7 Indian star tortoises, one died
and food. I tried really, really hard to save it. I was going to take it to a specialized reptile veterinarian but it died that night," said Cassandra Stepp-Bolling, Cal Poly graduate student and vivarium supervisor for the turtles.
"You really feel so bad for them, they're not even given a chance."
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Atsushi Yamagami and Norihide Ushirozako, both of Osaka, Japan, were arrested at LAX and charged with one count each of illegally importing wildlife and violating the Endangered Species Act.
The arrests were tied to an undercover investigation into a smuggling operation that brought turtles into the United States. The investigation started in 2010.
If convicted, the two men face up to 21 years in prison. They are scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 31.
Stepp-Bolling said the turtles, tortoises and frogs will be in Cal Poly's possession until the court cases reach their conclusion.
"Once they are no longer needed as evidence, they will officially get signed over to Cal Poly, and they can get adopted out as pets, as long as all the right permits are in order," she said.
There are 11 different species, some are endangered and others can't legally be exported.
The turtles range from about two to eight inches in shell size and may sell for $200 to $800 each.
"In China, you can sell a turtle, and it can be a year's worth of someone's family income," said Kristopher Lappin, Cal Poly's assistant professor of biological sciences.
Animals for the most part are tough, but little ones like these turtles, tortoises and frogs can get dehydrated a lot faster, and they're more delicate, Lappin said.
Since the arrival of the animals, Stepp-Bolling has been watching and caring for them for more than five hours a day. She feeds, weighs and cleans them as well as give them shots to prevent parasites and mends their wounds.
With the host of exotic animals, Stepp-Bolling said it's important to watch their every move.
Some people say reptiles don't have personalities, but Stepp-Bolling said she thinks they all have different ways of behaving.
"I kind of get attached to the ones who are really nasty tempered or really shy, I don't know why, but the turtles who bit me the hardest are the ones I like," she said.
Stepp-Bolling said the animals were turned over to the university because of a relationship built up between Cal Poly and a group of federal agencies that have used them in similar circumstances in the past.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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