Rewildings

These turtles weren't just numbers. They were native wildlife, stolen from our American landscapes and packed away in brutal conditions.

A federal judge recently sentenced Wei Qiang Lin to two years in prison for smuggling hundreds of turtles to Hong Kong. Investigators found turtles bound and taped inside knotted socks and hidden inside packages that were falsely labeled as toys.

The illegal wildlife trade is one of the greatest threats facing many of our native turtle species. For many North American turtles, replacing just one adult removed from the wild can take decades.

Most turtles don't reach reproductive age until they're 10 to 20 years old. Although a female may lay hundreds of eggs over her lifetime, only a tiny fraction of hatchlings survives to adulthood. So, when an adult turtle is taken from the wild, you're not just setting a population back a year. You're setting it back a generation.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and our federal law enforcement partners are actively investigating wildlife crimes and dismantling trafficking networks. This conviction sends a clear message: if you traffic America's wildlife, our law enforcement officers will find you, build the case, and bring you to justice.

Photo of smuggled turtles in socks by USFWS