Turtle Soup - Part 2: The Chinatown Bust

Dear little childhood turtles,

I'm really sorry you died such a horrible death, but I hope this sort of makes up for it. This is for you.

Love,
Ana

The Scoop

On Sunday, August 25th, I went to Chinatown to take pictures of the baby turtles. At least NINE establishments were selling newborn red eared sliders, even after recent crackdowns on bunny and turtle sales in the downtown area.

With my phone voice recorder on, I walked into Yan Gift & Souvenir, while a couple walked out with a pair they had just purchased next door! I pretended to be on a phone call with my "son", who absolutely needed me to text him photos of the turtles so he could pick out the ones he wanted. The saleswoman seemed comfortable with me under these circumstances. I went outside where the poor things were sitting under the blazing sun in small, uncovered plastic boxes and a shallow puddle of water. They were no longer than 1.5 inches. 

Two Fo Fi Dollah

At Saigon Plaza, the saleswoman became very anxious when she saw me taking pictures. "No pictuh, no pictuh," she said. "Why can't I take pictures?" "No pictuh, no pictuh." That's all I got from her. I asked the salesman. He said they don't allow pictures of anything in their store (right), but that I could go ahead. Just then, another saleswoman approached me and tried to sell me the turtles I was photographing. "Two fo fi dollah! Newbohn, newbohn!" My phone was still recording.

The Real Task - Who to Call First?

1) First, I contacted PETA. They responded the next day and asked that I contact the FDA through their criminal investigations Web form as well as my local animal control agency.

2) I submitted two forms to the FDA but haven't heard back. Hopefully they're working on it...

3) I then called LA Animal Services and left a message with Mark Salazar, Director of Field Operations. 

4) Then I Facebook messaged Acting Lieutenant Annette Ramirez, of LA Animal Services, whom I had seen in an ABC7 News report from Oct. 2012: Public warned of illegal turtle, bunny sales in LA  Annette returned my call within the week! She was wonderful. She asked that I send her names and addresses, and she'd send over an officer. Unfortunately, she said that the sellers are relentless, and they'll keep coming back, that it is up to US to call and report, since they don't have the resources to send an officer for regular enforcement. More on this below.

5) Because these vendors are breaking a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service code, it is this organization that confiscates the turtles. I called the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service South Coast regional office and spoke to a nice woman named Sandra who interestedly asked that I email her the same info so she could forward it to enforcement.

6) I also contacted the investigative teams at ABC7 and at NBC4, who ran a great two-part investigative report last year about illegal bunny sales in the Fashion District. They are worth watching!  

Part 1: Investigation: Unhealthy Bunnies for Sale in LA's Fashion District
Part 2: Animal Traffickers Continue to Operate Illegally in Fashion District

7) Finally, as if by some mystic convergence of energies, three days after I went to Chinatown, Donna Evans published an article in the LA Downtown News, which has since been linked to by several other news sources: Illegal Turtle Sales in Chinatown Leave Some Shell-Shocked Thanks again, Donna, for spreading the word!

Where Do the Turtles Go?

An important question. I asked LA Animal Services and U.S. F&WS and have not yet received a sure answer but will update you when I get any info.

WHY is this Still Going On?

Many of these vendors are REPEAT offenders. According to NBC4, Juan Mena, the ring leader for illegal animal sales in the Fashion District, has already been arrested four times for illegal animal sales. He has also been charged with animal cruelty, assault with a firearm, and is on probation for battery. His "punishment": an unenforceable stay-away order forbidding him in that area. Good thing it's working. The cherry on top: he is in the country illegally! His wife has been arrested seven times!!!

This is not surprising. Illegal animal sales are only treated as a misdemeanor and a nifty $100 will bail ya out. 

There is evidently a HUGE gap in the law here. Risk vs. Reward??? It's no wonder they keep coming back.

Officials also passed a law that fines anyone who buys animals from these criminals up to $1,000 (if caught). Now that makes a lot of sense, given that most of the public is uninformed. Now, merchants in the Fashion District trying to protect the area have passed out flyers warning the public. There are also signs like the one on the left hung about 8 feet off the ground, with print to small too see, in obscure areas of downtown. (According to Wikipedia, there are five people over 7 ft tall still alive in the U.S. today, and none of them live in Los Angeles.) Either way, who is monitoring the buyers? 

What Now?

First, we fail to realize how much WE can do. Turtles are not the only victims. Puppies, bunnies, and birds are also in danger. If you spot illegal animal sales, just drop LA Animal Services a voicemail. It is EASY, and they WILL listen. Mark Salazar's number is 213-482-7455. 

Second, spread the word and share my blog!!!

Third, get informed.

I will continue to push on my end and keep you updated! Thank you PETA, Annette Ramirez and Sandra! Thank you NBC4 for your eye-opening reports!

I know up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down at the bottom we, too, should have rights. -Dr. Seuss, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories



Helpful Reources
LA Animal Services website
LA Animal Services Department phone numbers
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Offices
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service South Coast Regional Office - 858-467-4201

Turtle Soup

Foreword 

While writing and researching this entry, I discovered that in October, 2012, there was a crackdown on the illegal sale of baby bunnies and turtles in Chinatown, Los Angeles, but I went down there to check up on them anyway. Luckily, there were no more bunnies, but at LEAST 10 establishments were STILL selling hatchlings, 5 dallah for the pair. I proceeded to carry out a successful undercover operation.

~*~ 

Turtle Soup

I was five when I got my first pets; a pair of turtles. They lived in a tank with little blue pebbles and a plastic palm tree. I don't remember naming them. They existed. And I was aware of their existence and was slightly responsible for their well-being. One day, per my daily duty, I brought them out to sun in their "palangana", a plastic wash basin for clothes, but alas a cartoon on TV kept me for longer than their poor turtle skins could take under the hot Costa Rican summer sun. My sister and I examined their stiff little bodies as they sank heavily to the bottom of their water basin. My mom made turtle soup for dinner that night.

That was a joke. There was no turtle soup. Omg.

It used to be very common to have turtles as pets. Remember how they'd be piled on top of each other in their aquariums at the pet store? You might still see them sold at fairs and on the streets even though the FDA passed a federal law in 1975 banning the sale of turtles and tortoises with a shell length of less than 4 inches. This was done to curb the high incidence of turtle-linked Salmonellosis in children and the immune compromised. Salmonella bacteria may be present in larger turtles as well, but apparently the diameter of the average child's mouth is 4 inches...?

www.freedigitalphotos.net

Code of Federal Regulations - Title 21

Breaking the "four-inch" law is punishable by a $1,000 fine and/or 1 year in prison for each violation.  Also, the turtles in question are subject to be dispatched in a humane manner by or under the supervision of an FDA officer or employee. This is a double-edge sword, of course, because we want to stop the suppliers and vendors from selling these creatures inhumanely, but if exposed, the animals we are trying to protect could potentially be killed. Although it's a very difficult stance to take, I personally think that the lives of a few turtles in the name of the greater good and awareness is a necessary sacrifice.

As with any law, however, there are exceptions, and with exceptions, there are loopholes. Exceptions include the sale or export of turtle hatchlings and viable eggs for bona fide educational or exhibition purposes, as well as the limited sale of turtles not connected with a business. This means that a store could technically give away "free" turtles with the purchase of an aquarium, or have the customer sign a disclaimer stating that the turtle will be used for educational purposes only.

One of the Biggest Loopholes of All

In some cases, the vendor or anyone with financial interest in the turtles may appeal their euthanasia. A punctual thirty-seven years after the law was passed, Petco initiated a "turtle relinquishment program". Customers could opt to bring back the turtles they had purchased (4 inches or less). Petco would then ship them off to their own supplier, Concordia Turtle Farm in Louisiana, where they were subsequently raised, treated for salmonella, and then sold again in the U.S. and abroad. PETA slammed Petco, because they claimed many of these turtles were getting shipped to China for slaughter.

Don't Blame the Turtles 

Salmonella is a naturally occurring bacteria in a turtle's digestive tract, but because they are in captivity, their enclosures perpetuate a higher risk of contamination. A good rule of thumb is to always wash your hands if you handle a turtle or a turtle's enclosure and never wash an aquarium where food is prepared.

Fortunately, this law has not only reduced the number of salmonella incidence among children, but it has also prevented the mishandling and deaths of hundreds of thousands of hatchlings. However, we still have a long way to go.

Undercover Operation

Stay tuned in my next blog for the details on how it all went down!


And the turtles, of course...all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be. -Dr. Seuss, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Sources:
www.fda.gov Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Volume 8. 2013.
www.nbcnews.com JoNel Aleccia. Turtle take-back program aims to curb salmonella risk. 2012. 
www.examiner.com Pat Harriman. Pet Turtles Can Carry Salmonella - Be Aware of the Dangers. 2012.
www.animalpeoplenews.org What Becomes of Turtles Relinquished to Petco

For Animals and Animal Lovers Everywhere

​I have a confession to make...

​

I am an animal lover.

A TRUE animal lover.

Have you ever met one of us? Perhaps you are one yourself. In case you're wondering, these are just some of the bordering-on-obsession signs:

​

1) 98% of your Facebook posts are about animals.

2) You proudly own three or more animal rescue volunteer shirts. 

3) Your dream purchase is that sweet cat tree house.

4) You jump to the rescue when a bee lands on your friend...the bee's rescue.

5) You're invited to posh pool parties only to appoint yourself lifeguard to drowning insects.

6) The vegetables you get at the Farmer's Market are for your pets.

7) All the squirrels who come to your home for nuts have names.

8) You tear up every time you see a dead animal on the road.

9) The fleas you pick off your pet are safely flicked outdoors (ok, some of them).

10) You hope to one day open your very own animal sanctuary.

Even though I've been a lifelong animal lover, it was only earlier this year that the epiphany really hit me (more on this in later posts); helping animals and being around them is my true, spiritual life fulfillment, and I want to share that passion with the world. This blog is dedicated to all animals, animal lovers and to my girls, Friskie and Sweetie, who inspired it all - see kitty header photos :)

I want to share personal stories, health tips, DIYS, photos and more. At first, I created an actual web site so the perfectionist in me could neatly categorize all the topics, but the design aspects of it overwhelmed me, and I put it aside for two months. That's when I knew I needed to go a different route. So the rhyme and reason to my posts here will be purely based on inspiration. That way, I'll be able to focus more on the content, which I really hope you find inspiring, insightful and invaluable. Please feel free to comment and share your own stories.

Enjoy!

Until one has loved an animal, part of one's soul remains unawakened. -Anatole France