Wichita Falls Reptile Rescue

Baby turtles sold at the flea market or fair

WFRR has a secure outdoor habitat for turtles.

[ 6/1/08 ] Above: Today we "confiscated" ( strongly encouraged the voluntary surrender ) approximately 50 Red Eared Slider hatchlings from an asian vendor at a trade show taking place at the MPEC convention center. We have been keeping tabs on this kind of reptile trafficking in this area for some time, and looking for an opportunity to catch them in the act. These poor turtles were packed in like sardines and the ones on the bottom had no means of fighting to the top of the water in order to breathe, as dozens of other babies were on top of them. If this wasn't inhumane enough, they were being sold indescriminately to anyone who came along, and the vendor was advising the buyers that they would not get any larger than this. The truth is that if properly cared for, they will live for decades and grow to be the size of the one below. Not only was this vendor committing fraud by deceptive business practices, but he was also in violation of federal FDA regulations. Title 21 CFR Sec. 1240.62 (b) prohibits the commercial sales to the public and interstate traffic of turtles with a carapace length of less than 4 inches. Penalty for violation may result in fine of up to $1000 and/or 1 year confinement FOR EACH OFFENSE. With 50+ turtles, he would have faced more than 50 counts. In addition, city ordinances prohibit the sale of animals at any temporary event, and prohibit the sale of animals within 50ft. of any eating or drinking establishment. This vendor was selling turtles within 20ft. of the concession windows.

The vendor, after revealing the turtles that he had for sale, was advised that he could surrender the turtles to us to be rehabilitated and released, or we would inform the local PD and county health dept. that he was in violation of federal commerce regulations by offering these turtles in a public venue. He surrendered the turtles, and we saved him a lot of trouble and money in fine amounts.

In order to discourage this vendor further from ever attempting this again, we would have preferred to make the call and involve the relevant agencies, which could have assessed the fines, however we discovered that this activity was taking place at approximately 5:20pm and the event closed at 6. By the time we got on scene and located the vendor to verify what he was selling, there was no time to wait for Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. or any other agency to come out on a Sunday afternoon, as some have suggested. This vendor would not have still been there by the time a game enforcement officer or health dept. official arrived on scene, if they even decided to act on the information; therefore, we acted to prevent the turtles from leaving the scene with him and being sold elsewhere.

The turtles have been moved to larger suitable accommodations, where they will be reared for a short time while we decide suitable locations where they can be released.    

weight: 4lb 6oz  length: 10"  approx age: 30 yrs

This poor boy was found on Hwy 79 after being hit by a car.  He has injuries to his shell to include several cracks, a broken right front leg with serious abrasions, and a possible pre-existing eye infection. Though plenty of turtles get onto this road normally, this eye condition may have contributed to his wandering out into traffic. 

[no photo available]

This poor female slider was rescued from Kemp Street and brought to us by good samaritans.  She is yet another victim of a hit and run.  She has a shattered shell, severe damage to her legs and head and may lose an eye.  We are working hard to help her and hope she will be able to live through this, but whether or not that will be in the wild again is not looking good.  She may need long term placement if she is unable to fend for herself.

Update: We placed her on antibiotics and analgesic to ease her pain until we could get an exotic vet to see her, however, her carapace was severely damaged and she was expelling blood from her mouth. Unfortunately this poor girl died from her injuries 4 days after we received her.

This little Ornate box turtle was found wandering with an old war wound. His shell, healing after a probable run in with a lawnmower blade, concerned the woman who found him. After evaluating him, it was determined that the uneven shell, while unsightly, poses no threat to his continued well being. Given the size and depth of the injury, he was very lucky to survive in the wild with this wound. He will be released into a safe area where he was found if we are able to speak to the person who brought him in again.

Update: We recently learned that this docile boy was found in an alley in a residential area. We don't know if he was born around that area in a nearby park, or if he was displaced and wandering in search of a new home; but, we cannot release him back in that area. Even if it was his home range, he would not be safe there, and there's not much for habitat around. We may consider release in a safer undeveloped nearby location, across SW Parkway...but, chances are looking like he will stay here for now. 

Rain washed this baby Red-Eared Slider down into a storm drain/overflow sump at the local prison, where an employee found him struggling to get out. He took the baby turtle home, where his young daughter of probably 5 years old took care of him for some time. She was happy to turn him over to animal rescuers however, and she was happy for the turtle. ( We find that many times when the situation is explained to children, they are all for letting the animal be happy and letting it go where it can live long. It is normally the parents who protest and give us grief about taking away something wild that they want to make a pet out of. Frequently, they use the possible hurt feelings of the kids as an excuse for keeping the animal...but just ask the kids about the animal being free, and see what they almost always say ;-) ). The gentleman was unsure of where this little one had come from, and, due to the restricted nature of the surrounding grounds, we will have trouble getting access there to find the pond he may have come from. For now he is being cared for here, until we decide where to release him in another suitable habitat.

This is Lucky. He is a young male Red Eared Slider of about 4-6 years old. We found him while on our way down Kemp next to the Lake Wichita dam one night. With a dark shell on a dark road, we just spotted him on the road in the nick of time and narrowly avoided running over him. I quickly bailed out of the car and ran back 30 or so yards to grab him before the next car arrived. We set him loose the next day at the creek just under the dam.

This little male Ornate box turtle was turned over to us by someone who found him wandering in a parking lot. As can be seen, he might have been a recent pet. His shell shows little abrasion, he was clean, and his nails were sharp, instead of slightly worn as would be the case with a wild turtle. He might have been in captivity for a little while. But painting of his shell leaves us a little ticked off at the former keeper, or person who did this. He is called an "Ornate" box turtle for a reason. He already had a pretty decorative shell pattern, as you can see showing under the paint. This paint looks a whole lot like Testors model paint. Such paints could be toxic, could interfere with his thermoregulation and proper shedding, and the paint fumes alone would have been harmful enough to expose this poor turtle too. This was done by an immature and ignorant person.

We will be working to safely remove this paint and show off his naturally pretty shell. When that is done, we will post new pictures of this cute little boy.

Some of our special needs cases require extensive medical attention and this can get costly. You can help by sponsoring one of these darlings. Your money will go directly toward the medical, food, and housing costs for the turtle you select.  You can name your turtle and will receive photos and regular updates on his or her treatment and progress. If one of these poor babies touches your heart, please consider helping us get him/her the care s/he desperately needs.

For information on how you can become a little turtle's guardian angel, please see our Contact page and email us today.

If you would simply like to make a donation toward the general care of any of our rescued animals, please click on the PayPal button below. Any amount you can spare will be greatly appreciated.