PETA is urging the public to beware of PETCO's "Turtle Relinquishment Program"—a deceptively named ploy to essentially solicit free turtles from unsuspecting people in order to funnel them back into the pet trade, through a meat farm!

Most states have laws either banning or restricting the sale of turtles, so it is likely that any you see at a pet store were captured illegally or raised in less-than-humane conditions.

Capitalizing on a recent rash of pet turtle–related cases of salmonella poisoning in humans, the shameless pet store chain—which has a terrible record already when it comes to animal welfare—has announced that anyone can bring a turtle of any size to its stores. PETCO then ships those turtles to its own vendor, Concordia Turtle Farm in Louisiana, which has said that it will "treat" the turtles for salmonella.

Well, this might sound like a noble effort to some, but shipping turtles is extremely stressful on them. And to add insult to injury, there really isn't any way to rid reptiles of salmonella—they naturally carry it in their intestinal tract! What's more, what PETCO doesn't tell consumers, and what PETA has learned, is that Concordia Turtle Farm exports 80 percent of its turtles overseas—mostly to China, where they grow larger and are then slaughtered for meat. Although it's unclear whether the relinquished turtles will end up on Chinese plates, this business deal brings up several important questions. Why would PETCO ally itself with a meat-trade supplier? And if it's "concerned" about human health, why is the company selling turtles in the first place?

Living conditions during the trip from the breeder or dealer are typically cramped and unsanitary, and many reptiles do not survive the ordeal.

What You Can Do

Please help keep turtles safe by urging the CEO of PETCO to end this ghastly program and stop selling turtles altogether.

Some visitors to South Carolina turned their vacation into an opportunity to advocate for animals when they spotted two aquariums packed to the brim with slider turtles at a beach shop.

The aquariums were full of water, and the turtles had only a small bit of rock and cut-up pieces of a pool toy to climb onto to rest. Slider turtles can't hold their breath for long underwater, and the turtles were exhausted from being forced to swim constantly and surface frequently in order to get air. Reportedly, some of the animals had already died from their ordeal.

The tourists called PETA, and we contacted a reputable law-enforcement agency in the area. The responding officer immediately cited the store manager for cruelty to animals. The officer also ordered the store to give the turtles more space, provide each tank with sufficient items for the turtles to rest on, and closely monitor the quality of the water.

In court, the officer and an equally diligent prosecutor made an excellent case for cruelty charges, and the manager was convicted and slapped with the maximum penalty—more than $1,000. The court also appointed a reptile specialist to educate the manager on the proper care of turtles. PETA is pushing the store to stop selling turtles altogether.

This all happened because some tourists took a few minutes out of their vacation to help animals. Never let an opportunity pass you by—never be silent. 

Thanks to your efforts, this will be the first time in 15 years that August passes without the torture of turtles in a barbaric event called "Snapperfest" at Campshore Campground in Aurora, Indiana.

Animal advocates were appalled last year when they saw the video that PETA posted showing participants who slammed turtles into the ground, shoved their hands inside the turtles' shells, and yanked the animals' heads out so that the "competitors" could wrap their hands around the turtles' necks. It's easy to see how the turtles could be seriously injured or even killed:

Hundreds of thousands of you begged officials to intervene, and PETA pushed for cruelty-to-animals charges against participants. After a year of campaigning, our efforts have paid off. The state's Department of Natural Resources announced that it will ensure that "Snapperfest" never happens again.

Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this victory for turtles.

When Gladys Bleakney's home-daycare class in Ottawa, Ontario, learned that the turtles and frogs in their favorite pond were under siege by people who were catching and eating them, the children took matters into their own tiny hands. The world's cutest demonstration was born:

The kids believe that, just like people, all animals have feelings and deserve respect. The future looks bright for animals.

How far will a mother go to save her child? Straight into the heart of danger, such as in the case of a deer whose fawn had fallen in a crack in a rock wall. The mother deer kept returning throughout the night and morning. Then, while firefighters tried to rescue the fawn, the deer stuck close to the potentially dangerous humans and loud machinery to watch out for her baby.

While many of us would be doomed without our GPS systems, loggerhead turtles are born with the ability to navigate by reading the Earth's magnetic field. There is also evidence that many species, including pigeons, chickens, naked mole rats, and cattle, also detect the Earth's geomagnetic field.

Bees' eyesight rivals any advanced vision equipment our military has created. Bees navigate using only polarized light in the sky and the 5,000 individual dots that make up a single image in their compound eyes.

Since they don't make their own poison, African crested rats bathe themselves in tree poison to protect themselves from predators.

Few would question dogs' superior sense of smell. While we might think that all roses smell the same, dogs can detect different smells on each petal of a single flower, such as traces of other flowers' pollen left by insects and humans who have touched it. Another good reason to let your dog stop and smell the roses!

Written by Michelle Sherrow

And we have another 10% Wool comic "Tag and Release" contest! Here's how it works: You submit the caption for this week's comic in the comment section below. The person whose caption best complements the strip will receive a prize. This week's winner will walk away with a PETA logo blue ceramic mug.

The entry round ends at 12 noon on August 29, 2011, and we'll announce the winner and showcase the winning comment in a blog post on September 1, 2011. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Good luck! Don't forget to check out the archive of past 10% Wool comic strips and get more information on the series and the writer here. Plus, learn how to get Jeff's other comic, DeFlocked, into your local paper here.

Update: Sadly, the 2011 event moved forward, but with your help, we will continue to campaign against this event in the future. Local officials—some of whom were sympathetic to the turtles' plight—felt the heat, and we hope that they will do the right thing and ensure that this cruel event will meet its demise.

We thought we'd heard it all until we heard about "Snapperfest," scheduled for this Saturday, August 20, in Ohio County, Indiana. During this vile, annual turtle torturefest, "competitors" grab wild-caught snapping turtles by their tails and slam them to the ground. They yank the turtles' heads out of their shells and swing the turtles around until they can wrap their hands around the animals' necks.

As you can imagine, in addition to enduring the stress of this horrifying ordeal, the turtles can be seriously injured and even killed. Being cold-blooded animals, it takes a long time for them to die. 

Local officials have not been receptive to PETA's request that they step in and call off the turtle torture. So we are asking you to e-mail officials and the campground where Snapperfest is to be held and politely ask them to cancel this barbaric event.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

And here's our favorite caption for this weeks' "10% Wool" comic contest! We're in the process of contacting the winner, so be sure to check your inbox!

"Yes, Mac, I know I'm a leatherback, but for ethical reasons, I want it all changed out to pleather."

Don't forget to check out past 10% Wool comic strips and get more information on the series and the writer here, and learn how to get Jeff's other comic, DeFlocked, into your local paper here.

And we have another 10% Wool comic "Tag and Release" contest! Here's how it works: You submit the caption for this week's comic in the comment section below. The person whose caption best complements the strip will receive a prize. This week's winner will walk away with a Black PETA Logo Fitted T-Shirt.
 

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Click here for larger version

The entry round ends at 12 noon on July 18, 2011, and we'll announce the winner and showcase the winning comment in a blog post on July 21, 2011. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Good luck!

Don't forget to check out the archive of past 10% Wool comic strips and get more information on the series and the writer here. Plus, learn how to get Jeff's other comic, DeFlocked, into your local paper here.
 

Passengers flying out of JFK International Airport in New York this week hit some unexpected turtlebulence. About 150 diamondback terrapins scooted across Runway 4L on their way to lay their eggs at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens.
 

USFWS Headquarters/cc by 2.0

 
Pilots paused and gave the pedestrian mothers the right of way across the tarmac, while compassionate crew members lent the turtles a helping hand. Some flights were delayed a few minutes and others were rerouted for takeoff while the reptiles ruled the runway. Reportedly, no bags were lost as all the turtles carried their luggage with them.

Turtles need help on interstates as well as at international airports. Whenever you see turtles attempting to cross a road, carry them the rest of the way in the same direction they were going. Click here for more turtle-friendly tips.

Written by Michelle Sherrow