WDIV (Detroit, Michigan) 22 March 05 DNR Sting Targets Local Turtle Poachers
Poaching may seem like a crime that's only committed in the most exotic parts of the world, but it's also endangering Michigan's wildlife population, Local 4 reported.
An undercover sting by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is targeting people who are hunting and selling or buying turtles.
It's illegal to purchase or sell any animal taken from the wild, the station reported.
"Early on, we realized that we were going to get one attempt to infiltrate this industry," said an undercover DNR agent. "It's a small, close-knit industry. We had to do it right."
The agent went undercover as a turtle poacher, finding some wild turtles and offering them for sale. He found plenty of willing buyers, the station reported.
With a hidden camera and a load of turtles in his truck, the officer parked outside the Democratic Club in Taylor, which was being rented out for a reptile show.
The DNR agent was not targeting the show's visitors, but was trying to bust dealers trading illegally on the side.
Some of the customers were suspicious, but the agent was able to snare two men in the sting, including an Ypsilanti resident.
Authorities found 70 turtles in the back yard of the Ypsilanti man's home.
Michigan State University zoology professor Jim Harding said the turtles are a hot commodity because dealers can get up to $100 each for them in the domestic market, the station reported.
"That's a pretty high price on your head," Harding said. "But if you get this animal to Europe, you may find hobbyists who will spend $500 to $1,000."
The trade exploits a Michigan turtle population that is on the decline, the station reported.
"If you start exploiting the adults and older juveniles, the population has nowhere to go but down," Harding said. "A poacher will go into a population and take as many as he or she can."
Turtles aren't the only black market reptile. One man was spotted buying an endangered fox snake, the station reported.
Fourteen men were caught on tape in the undercover sting. Some argued entrapment, but all were later convicted and paid a total of $50,000 in fines.
Some of the turtles confiscated in the sting are going through rehabilitation and will be returned to the wild.
The DNR took three years to set up the sting and convict the men.
DNR Sting Targets Local Turtle Poachers