SREL Reprint #3802

Anatomy of a turtle confiscation: what to expect when you're not expecting and recommendations for improving outcomes

Tracey D. Tuberville1, Kurt A. Buhlmann1, James W. Dillman2, Andrew M. Grosse3,
Emma A. Browning1, Pearson A. McGovern1, David Lee Haskins1, Charles E. Davis4,
Marty Kyle Brown1, and Ryan J. Rimple1

1University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA
2South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division,
PO Box 167, Columbia, South Carolina 29202 USA
3South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 220 Santee Gun Club Rd, McClellanville, South Carolina 29458 USA
4United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service-Savannah River, PO Box 700,
New Ellenton, South Carolina 29809 USA

Abstract: Turtles are being subjected to unprecedented collection for the illegal wildlife trade, but only a portion of the trade is detected. When confiscations do happen, wildlife agencies must decide what to do with those animals—euthanize them, place them in permanent captivity, or release them back into the wild. We present a case study of a confiscation of >200 eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) and our efforts to repatriate them back to the wild. Twenty-five percent of turtles died in captivity, and at least another 33% died during the soft-release phase. Approximately half of the confiscated turtles survived until they were released from their soft-release pen 9 months post-confiscation. For each phase, from the time turtles were seized until released, we describe our objectives, the challenges we encountered, and our recommendations for improving future turtle confiscations. Given the extended stressful conditions that confiscated turtles often experience before being seized, it is important to recalibrate our expectations regarding future confiscation outcomes.

Keywords: eastern box turtle; illegal turtle trade; repatriation; supportive care; Terrapene carolina carolina; survival; triage

SREL Reprint #3802

Tuberville, T. D., K. A. Buhlmann, J. W. Dillman, A. M. Grosse, E. A. Browning, P. A. McGovern, D. L. Haskins, C. E. Davis, M. K. Brown, and R. J. Rimple. 2024. Anatomy of a turtle confiscation: what to expect when you're not expecting and recommendations for improving outcomes. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 23(2): 189-202.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).