Turtles have been a part of the pet trade and the food trade for a long time. But can today's stock of turtles sustain the pressure? Iain MacLeod explains a few of the challenges.
When you go into a pet store, have you ever thought about where all the animals come from? Are they bred in captivity or caught in the wild?
I'm Iain MacLeod from the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, and this is Something Wild.
In the case of turtles, the answer is both. Some were bred as pets, but many are caught in the wild, and collecting wild turtles is hurting many species.
A bigger problem than the pet trade is the food trade, particularly in Asian countries, where turtles of all types are commonly eaten.
Because of all this, turtles are not doing well. Globally, about 50% of all turtle species are endangered. In Asia, it's 75%.
This problem is not unique to Asia, though. Turtles are also captured for food and pets in the US. In fact, wild-collecting is done so much that biologists nationwide are questioning whether even common turtle species can handle such pressure.
And collection isn't the only problem turtles are facing-habitat loss and being run over by cars are also big issues.
Turtle collectors concede that the pet turtle trade can be significantly improved, but they argue against a total ban. But biologists counter that the human population has grown to the point where just too many turtles are being collected. Especially because many wild turtles, like wild mammals and birds, don't adjust well to life in captivity.
On the other hand, there are some turtle collectors who are helping with captive breeding programs for the many rare species that now need our help.
Many people say that they became turtle lovers only because they had direct contact with them when they were kids, and that is important. So how can we expose kids to these wonderful creatures in some way so we develop the next generation of naturalists but still have wild turtles around? How do you strike a balance?
If you have a natural history question that you would like answered on Something Wild, email us at somethingwild@ nhpr.org.
Something Wild is a joint production of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Public Radio, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. For Something Wild, I'm Iain MacLeod.
