Texas box turtles, like boxes in other areas, live long and reproduce very slowly, so the unlimited collection permitted by various states and the destruction of turtle habitat rapidly decimates the species.
For information and how you can help Texas box turtles, by writing a letter or signing an online petition, visit Michael Smith's Cricket-Frog.com Box Turtle Partnership of Texas page.
Based on conversations Smith has had with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, TPWD doesn't think anyone but a few herpers in the state of Texas has any concern about saving the species in the wild. So, don't let not being a Texas resident stop you from writing or signing the petition, if you think the species is worth protecting.
-----
--
Melissa Kaplan
Anapsid.org
