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Pet Bog Crypto Ban
As a strategic bank shot for banning domestic use of encryption the
US FBI and Fish and Wildlife Service have declared the pet Bog
Snatch Algorithm a terrorist threat:
http://jya.com/fws110497.txt (134K)
B. Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific, or
Educational Purposes
The bog turtle is a target for pet collectors due to its rarity in
the wild, distinctive coloration, and small size. Take (primarily
illegal) both for the national and international commercial pet trade
industry has occurred for many years. Collecting is a significant
factor in the species decline and is an ongoing threat to its continued
existence in the wild (Anon. 1991; Earley 1993; David Flemming, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, in litt. 1991; Herman 1990; Klemens in
press; Stearns et al. 1990; Tryon 1990; Tryon and Herman 1990). During
the last 5 to 10 years, an increasing number of bog turtles have been
advertised for sale, and prices have increased substantially. The
increase in price most likely reflects the increase in demand for the
turtles; the increase in demand increases the threats to the wild
populations (Tryon and Herman 1990).
Atlanta Zoo personnel reported that from 1989 to early 1991, over
1000 bog turtles were exported to Japan. These figures differ
significantly from CITES data and represent a significant amount of
unreported illegal trade (Anon. 1991). The World Wildlife Fund recently
listed bog turtles as among the world's top 10 ``most wanted''
endangered species (Earley 1993). According to Alan Salzburg, President
of the American Turtle and Tortoise Society, the bog turtle is
considered the most prized turtle in the United States, and when bog
turtle locations become publicly known, they are exploited by
collectors within 1 year (Laura Hood, Defenders of Wildlife, in litt.
1997).
Due to the threats facing bog turtle populations, the Society for
the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles adopted a resolution calling for
the prohibition of collection from wild populations (Stearns et al.
1990). Due to the small size of existing populations, and the low
reproductive and recruitment potential of this species, the removal of
even a few breeding adults can do irrevocable damage to a population
(Tryon 1990). Collecting has been a factor in the reduction or
extirpation of several bog turtle populations in Delaware (Anon. 1991),
Maryland (Anon. 1991; Smith, in litt. 1994), Massachusetts (Anon.
1991), New Jersey (Farrell and Zappalorti 1989; Zappalorti, pers. comm.
1994; Zappalorti, in litt. 1997), New York (Breisch, in litt. 1993;
Breisch et al., in litt. 1994; Collins 1990; Behler, in litt. 1997),
and Pennsylvania (Ralph Pisapia, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in
litt. 1992; Zappalorti, in litt. 1997). Many sites in these States have
suitable habitat, but have much-reduced bog turtle populations,
probably due to collecting.
Throughout the bog turtle's entire range, States regulate take
through classification of the species as endangered (in Connecticut,
Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and
Virginia) or threatened (in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee), yet trade continues.
Illegal trade is difficult to detect due to the questionable origin
of turtles being offered for sale. Bog turtles are often ``laundered''
through States which either do not have native populations (e.g., West
Virginia, Florida, California), or through States which have inadequate
protection of their own bog turtle populations (Charles Bepler, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, in litt. 1993; Breisch, in litt. 1993;
Michael Klemens, in litt. 1990). For example, in recent years dealers
have claimed West Virginia as the State of origin for bog turtles;
however, there is no evidence to support the contention that the bog
turtle occurs in that State (Dennis Herman, Project Bog Turtle
Coordinator, in litt. 1997; Tom Thorp, North Carolina Herpetological
Society, in litt. 1997). Hatchling and juvenile turtles marketed as
``captive-born'' are usually offspring from gravid adult females
illegally brought into captivity and held until they deposit eggs. The
eggs are then hatched in captivity, and the captive-born (but not
captive-bred) offspring are then marketed or retained (Bepler, in litt.
1993).
A few specific instances of illegal bog turtle collecting and trade
are reported below:
(1) An undercover officer purchased eight bog turtles from a person
who had collected them near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Also, two
additional bog turtles were recovered from persons who had gotten them
from friends allegedly in the New York area (Bepler, in litt. 1993);
(2) An individual from New Jersey was arrested for bringing bog
turtles from New Jersey to Florida and selling them as captive-born. It
is suspected that he collected about six turtles per year over a period
of several years (Bepler, in litt. 1993);
(3) A reliable source in New York reported that over 2000 wild-
caught bog turtles were shipped to Japan in a 2-year period (Murdock,
in litt. 1990);
(4) Researchers found several turtle traps and a much-diminished
bog turtle population at an important bog turtle site in Pennsylvania
(Pisapia, in litt. 1992);
(5) In 1993, a New Jersey resident purchased 47 bog turtles in
Florida, and since 1984 had also bought 20 additional bog turtles. This
individual supposedly has an active breeding program for bog turtles
(Terry Tarr, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in litt. 1993);
(6) When confronted in a New York wetland, an individual claiming
to be a birdwatcher revealed the contents of the cloth bag he was
carrying--a bog turtle and spotted turtle (Paul Novak, New York Natural
Heritage Program, in litt. 1990);
(7) A reliable source reported seeing approximately 60 bog turtles
at the Ohio residence of a person who frequents reptile shows. Based on
the physical appearance of the bog turtles, they were not captive-bred
(Scott Smith, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in litt. 1996);
(8) Bog turtles have been available at the major Herpetological
Expo in Orlando, Florida for the last 2 years (Herman, in litt. 1997;
Thorp, in litt. 1997); and
(9) Bog turtles were observed in several Florida dealerships in
1996, although they have not been openly advertised for sale (Herman,
in litt. 1997).
The general consensus among bog turtle researchers, nongame
biologists, and law enforcement officials is that illegal collecting is
occurring at a much greater rate than detected or reported (Anon. 1991;
Breisch, in litt. 1993; Flemming, in litt. 1991). Bog turtles are
already extremely low in numbers throughout much of their range, and
any additional take could eliminate marginal populations and hamper
survival and recovery efforts.
Protecting existing sites for bog turtles can pose a threat when
these specific sites are revealed and publicized. In addition to the
threat of collection for the pet trade industry, collection of bog
turtles for exhibition at nature centers is also a threat (Anon. 1991).