A turtle smuggler who was caught in the act is facing massive punishments.
What's happening?
Wan Yee Ng was arrested in June in Vermont, from where she had planned to travel to Quebec via kayak. The Guardian reported Ng was found with 29 eastern box turtles wrapped in socks in a duffel bag.
Ng pleaded guilty in October to violating the Endangered Species Act, and could be imprisoned for 10 years and fined $250,000. Sentencing is set for December.
Why is this important?
Ng's husband and another man had just left the Canadian side of the lake when Ng was apprehended following international cooperation among law enforcement. Ng, from Hong Kong, had planned to smuggle the turtles to Canada and later sell them in China, where they go for $1,000 each. Ng was living in Canada at the time.
The turtle, a vulnerable species, is threatened by the illegal pet trade as well as habitat destruction and fragmentation. Its striking black or brown and yellow or orange colors are matched by the males' red eyes. Females can store sperm for up to four years before laying fertile eggs.
It's necessary to protect these animals and others to ensure biodiversity and a balanced ecosystem. Earth is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction event — the first anthropogenic one — because of the overabundance of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere that choke out plant, animal, and human life.
What's being done about protecting life on Earth?
The gases from burning dirty fuels such as coal, gas, oil, carbon dioxide, methane, and other pollution envelop the planet like a blanket, magnifying heat from the sun and keeping it from escaping into space.
To help reverse this trend, you can take local action, such as volunteering with a conservation group or cleanup crew. Make changes in your everyday life, including buying secondhand, cutting out plastic, and turning to clean energy. Not only will you improve the health of the globe, but you will also save money.
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