Someone should call Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, as a New York man has been charged with illegally smuggling turtles.
While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were not among the traveling party, eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles were. The creatures were sold on the black market and shipped to China between November 2019 and November 2020.
According to Wide Open Spaces, a federal grand jury charged 26-year-old Russell Milis from Brooklyn with two counts of smuggling goods from the U.S. and one count of violating the Lacey Act.
Milis did so without a necessary license and without declaring the turtle shipment to customs, and he could face serious jail time if found guilty. A 10-year prison sentence for each smuggling count is possible, along with five years in prison for each Lacey Act violation. He could also be issued with up to a $250,000 fine or be forced to pay double what he made in sales.
The Lacey Act is the oldest wildlife trafficking law in the United States. As Wide Open Spaces detailed, it "prohibits the shipping of wildlife for commercial purposes without accurate labeling." Both species of turtle are protected by federal law, with the creatures native to some U.S. areas. They are also both listed as vulnerable, as habitat loss and hazards caused by human activity have put the populations at risk.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, experts believe the Earth is witnessing its sixth mass extinction event. With these turtles listed as vulnerable, they could be among the animals lost during this troubling situation if they aren't afforded better protection.
While the colorful patterns on their bodies are a treasured feature that alone would be awful to lose, the absence of the animals could damage an already fragile ecosystem. The Missouri Department of Conservation detailed that the shells, eggs, and young of three-toed box turtles provide food for predators like skunks, raccoons, and badgers.
The Department has implemented safeguarding measures to stop the collection and sale of three-toed box turtles as pets, and in Connecticut, the eastern box turtle is protected from international trade by the 1994 CITES treaty.
With the animals fetching lucrative sums in Chinese and Hong Kong markets, there is a possibility for exploitation. Thankfully, this Brooklyn seller was caught in the act.
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