TC FIELD GRANTS

OUTSOURCING

If Emma Lazarus could rewrite her famous sonnet at the base of the Statue of Liberty, it might read:

“Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses ... your turtles.”

by James Liu JAMES LIU t only seems fitting to modify Lazarus’ original Also known as the Central American Wood statement to the truth — that the United States or Ornate , almost all of these has become one of the world’s largest importers colorful critters found in the United States have Iof turtles and . The U.S. comes in second been plucked right out of the semi-tropical dry only to the great medicine cabinet/kitchen table of forests of where there is a robust export . trade. After years of fierce combat and political -up Twenty-first century governmental restrictions heaval, the irony is hard to overlook, as the Unit- have limited a once booming domestic turtle trade, ed States has become Nicaragua’s greatest wildlife in the form of collection laws and laws on habitat trade partner. and protection. Gone are the days of being The Nicaraguans sure caught on fast after the able to walk into a local pet store and purchase an 1990 elections, ousting the Socialist regime. While Eastern (Terrapene carolina) for 10 dol- the country is better known for its exports in coffee, lars. Now, business is primarily conducted online or it has made a name for itself in the trade, at big-box pet store chains like Petco and PetSmart, selling dealers around the world these ru- where the buffet of chelonians consists almost en- by-red, chevron-emblazoned turtles. tirely of Russian Tortoises ( horsfieldii), Sul- The species is a Central American endemic, re- cata Tortoises ( sulcata), and the ubiqui- stricted to the dry forests and seasonal woodlands tous Red-eared Slider ( scripta elegans). along the Pacific slope. Now found in the aquari- Although State and Federal officials in the ums of pet stores and hobbyists alike, this turtle U.S. may attempt to close down the trade for de- boasts all the coveted turtle features — bright reds clining species, when it comes to the turtle trade, and yellows on its shell and neck, an inquisitive ex- where one door closes, another opens. The once pression, and exotic enough to not be found in the abundant Eastern Box Turtle is now difficult to collection of just any casual turtle enthusiast. find wandering in the fields of the eastern United “They’re just cheaper than Box Turtles,” ac- States. Its populations have declined by more than cording to one importer who wishes to remain 30 percent, and most states have banned its sale in anonymous. “They make a good display animal in response. The price of pet Eastern Box Turtles has a pet store and are easy to keep, but if Box Turtles now skyrocketed for the turtles coming from the were available to retailers, we probably wouldn’t be one remaining state that allows its trade (looking at bringing in as many (Painted Wood Turtles).” you South Carolina). It was as if pet stores across America, realizing Nevertheless, the Jackson Pollock-inspired yel- the economics of their native Box Turtles were no low splash on the carapace of an Eastern Box Tur- longer profitable, replaced their aquarium duties tle may have found a suitable replacement in the with a species from a developing country, where the ( pulcherrima native species had not yet been exploited enough manni). to increase the market price or trigger government regulation. This is reptile outsourcing at its best. As a veterinary student, I traveled to Nicara- gua as a part of the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Nicaragua was the chosen destination because it lays claim to the du- bious distinction of having the second poorest pop- ulation in the Western Hemisphere. 2013 represented my second time to Nicara- gua. By this trip, nothing could distract me from my objectives, not even the gastrointestinal impact of continual, generous helpings of black coffee and cuajada — a Nicaraguan delicacy that is essential- ly a white cheese bathed in salt, left in the tropical sun uncovered, and swarmed over by flies for days. Luckily, a plate of tortillas, avocado, and a cold Toña Hatchling Painted Wood Turtle (Nicaraguan beer) can cover a multitude of culinary (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima manni) sins.

52 vationists more could be proactive and “keep com risky, and really, wouldn’t it better if we be conser lostto forever be is noble, but it is expensive and of Fighting extinction. for something that is about scrambling to save teetering a species on brink the The conservationspecies. world often findsitself andvancy Paso Pacifico to work together forthis dant, there reason is good for Turtle the Conser populations.wild sult of expanding the and trade of extraction the pet impact to Painted Wood Turtle population as are organizationsBoth have eager to the identify been interest with Turtle the inpartnering Conservancy. ifornia and it’s clear why there was a pre-existing Add on that fact are the they headquartered in Cal forestsemi-tropical dry conservation inNicaragua. of Paso NGO the Pacifico, andsea turtle in aleader Drs. Sarah Otterstrom and Kim Williams-Guillén potential. somefind therewithout was evenprojecttrying, I am awesome at finding thatand turtles can ifI in Nicaragua, to show logical it so seemed that them expressed interest inworking with turtles terrestrial atleagues Turtle the Conservancy. They previously at and heart, Ishared photos the Itook with col tus student, as aveterinary aherpetologist Iam still Turtles during my travels. Despite my current sta While Wood the Turtle apparently is still abun I was fortunate enough put to be incontact with In 2012, I was able to findtwo Painted Wood ------itsaid to easy findwildlife. All and done,within nouncing of beginning the wet made the season we touched down, and sudden the downpours an tiful.) came more (High turtles. fives wereequally plen rainsthe earlier that month. And with more rain from hiding aweek or two prior, from cues taking a steep trail. Most likely, young the emerged turtle emerged sweeping while through leaf the litter on intensethe red and yellow of ahatchling’s carapace Sureturtles. enough, 30minutes into our first hike, Pacifico groupand a searchof herpetologists to for largely veterinary, Imetfrom with staff the Paso ofragua. goal Although trip was this primary the myself stream inacool knee-deep incentral Nica cading across effect the entire forestecosystem. threatsthe well before loss the of has turtles acas bull by horns the (or by ) the and address dant populations allows conservationists to the take mon common”? species Working to maintain abun start. running a with snakes, and sloths low enough to grab waist-deep in primates, amphibians, … the team waded through the jungle Nicaragua thirsty for had been rain by time the inJune started Field surveys Ifound 2013when 53 - - - - -

JAMES LIU 54 andof species subspeciespresent, localities, and an of sample objective sizes, the to get a broader sense must have insurance.” health classmate leaned into my ear and muttered, “She with her bareserpent hands. It was at my time this nonchalantlyran herper picked up neurotoxic the ner acoral snake, Iwas aback taken as Hondu the frogs. After jumping out of a moving truck to cor ras traveling with team the in search of endangered in my place by afemale herpetologist from Hondu hours. This elation narrowly trumped getting put Paintedmale Wood Turtles and ahatchling in24 sloths low enough to grab with start. arunning waist-deep inprimates, amphibians, snakes, and a couple days, team the through waded jungle the 250˚

10˚ 15˚ 20˚ 25˚ 0 Though our efforts clearly represent the smallest More importantly, we discovered two adult fe PACIFIC OCEAN 100 THE PAINTEDWOOD TURTLE OF THE RANGE 200 255˚ 300 MILES 260˚

・

2014 265˚ GULF OF MEXICO 270˚ - - - - - BELIZE full of chickens.full of black smoke or, if you’re lucky, acardboard box yourself sharing coveted spacewith personal plumes for what lack inair-conditioning. they You often find people, and and fumes odor make diesel the up body eler on abudget inNicaragua. They arewith filled ferred of mode transportation for student-trav the chance. the Well I do, and recommend Ihighly it ifyou everget woman on an old school bus diesel for eight hours? entire arm sucked into fat the folds of alarge, sweaty with exporters the ship who out them of country. the for and turtles trade collect to pet the get intouch able. Next were topeople find leads where on local abundanceecdotal of Wood Turtles achiev seemed 275˚ NICARAGUA Old American schoolbuses epitomize pre the youDo know that feeling where you have your PANAMA CUBA

MAXIMILIAN MAURER rogerbarbouri. p. incisa foursubspecies: of mys pulcherrima the entire the range of The range shownhere represents walked unknowinglypastit. leaves after severalof peoplehad a hikingtrail underadenselayer was uncovered in themiddleof This hatchling Painted Wood Turtle , R. p. pulcherrima complex, madeup R. p. manni Rhinoclem , and , R. p. p. R. R. R. - - - -

JAMES LIU time, I decided to ittime, take Idecided upon myself and uncover opened his eyes to hit “repeat” for fourth the or fifth favorite: me blasting an American club (and South Beach) was sleeping against window the seat inthe next to but on third the legof our trip, a20-something guy Mexican love songs usually dominate airwaves, the out engine the noise and clamor of other the riders. for patrons to blast music from phones their to drown cats. would-be poachers for sparing hatchlings and big youth and through incentive programs that reward parrots through education programs for optimistic as well, protecting nesting the jaguars, turtles, and Pacifico muchfocuses of its conservation work here TurtleOlive Sea Ridley ( few remaining Nicaraguaern and home to some of country’s the nation Ostional, oceanfront a small in south village make for anicechange of pace.) butTVs and flat-screen the one-dollar Libres Nica would an be understatement for attached the casino, casino hotelEgyptian-themed country. inthe Seedy Managua is Nicaragua’s capital and home to only the on one of buses inManagua. these (Author’s note: impressionbest of aFinnish sauna, Ifound myself hillside. Lake Managua from anearby theroad trying to reachedge of This turtle wasfoundonthe threat toNicaraguan wildlife. infrastructure isaninevitable roadways and Expansion of Another common on buses occurrence is these frontThe the of buspainted was withthe desti One day, aday that to determined doits seemed Give me Everything, me Give arribada beaches for beaches Vulnerable the Lepidochelys olivacea by Pitbull. he when So ). Paso - - over his exhausted eyes. much more personal. comparing our but college experiences, something gearsed and sat up. It was obvious we were no longer name for Painted Wood Turtles). Julio quickly shift monte del plained we were looking for and turtles sea with his and save up some money. tocided defer on classes and return to Ostional to be Afterbouncing around a few restaurantjobs, he de find work sametheso at timehecould afford college. nagua, and, like most young to adults, he was trying Julio, he was an econ major at university the in Ma origin the of his Top 40 hip-hop love. His name was road.” Eventually we stopped town inasmall square, no suspension driving over an unpaved mountain tionately known as “the rickety old school bus with through leg final the the of meat tenderizer, affec women of as part its conservation enterprise.) is “embedded,” employing dozens men of and local thingcool about Paso Pacificothat is as an NGO, it assume was first the thattime (Sideweek. note: One for he them!) exclaimed, smiling for what Ican only them?) “Si,” I replied. (Yes. “Les conoces?” you Do know “¿Con Paso Pacifico?”said, he eyebrows raised I introduced myself and my classmate and ex After he turned off his music, we put our asses “Mi hermana trabaja por ellos!” (my sister works (turtles of (turtles mountain, the colloquial the tortugas tortugas 55 - - - - -

JAMES LIU JAMES LIU JAMES LIU JAMES

Painted Wood Turtles spend the long dry season in Nicaragua buried deep in leaf litter to avoid predation and dry- ing out. They only emerge once the rains bring streams and other temporary sources of water. A holding pond for adult turtles at a Nicaraguan reptile “zoocriadero.” These are overcrowded and eventually piled into boxes destined for wholesalers in the US, Europe, and Asia. and Julio jumped up, grabbed his backpack and our they didn’t know but maybe their boss did, pointing heaviest piece of luggage. Sure enough, he walked to a larger, shirtless man smoking under a mangrove us to our hostel at the end of the road, which over- tree. I walked over, introduced myself, and asked looked a small fishing community and beach. This again, politely. town is where we would spend the next days looking “Turtles? No, we don’t sell turtles, there aren’t for nesting sea turtles, running into anteaters, enter- any out here,” he mumbled through his pursed lips, taining the locals with our California accents, and clutching his cigarette. “But in Managua there are camping on the beach. hundreds being shipped out. I’ve seen them when I Wandering aimlessly through the high tide mark drop off the fish.” in the sand, I saw Julio again, this time with a friend. Bingo! They ran frantically with five-gallon buckets back- A couple of texts and phone calls later, the boss and-forth, from a thatched-roof hut to the ocean. I proffered directions to the best chance we had at un- waved and asked him what was going on. He elabo- earthing the turtle pipeline in Nicaragua. He told me rated about how he was trying to fill an aquarium for to look for a restaurant three kilometers out of Grana- a German guy. This I had to see, so I offered to help da as I jotted down a name on a piece of trash: Familia carry a couple of buckets to the hut. Lopez. Expecting to see a home aquarium displaying Luck produced my first lead and my fortune some pet lionfish, I was floored when I saw rows of wasn’t done yet. A few days later, an iguana biologist large acrylic holding tanks with plastic water bottles working with Paso Pacifico was headed back to Ma- floating in them. Upon closer inspection, the bottles nagua from our field expedition in Rivas. He said that were nothing more than repurposed holding cells for he would be able to drop Laura and me off in Granada a plethora of small reef fish. to meet some classmates, and we would have to miss I inquired where these fish were from and their out on the bus experience for the leg back. eventual destination. Their response was frank and En route, I brought up our vague description of curt: “From the bay right here” and “They go from the Lopez family reptile business to see if they knew a here to Managua to the airport.” good way to get better directions than “three kilome- Turtles are always a part of my cerebral con- ters out of town.” The iguana man turned down the sciousness, so I asked if they ever catch turtles for the radio, paused, and smiled. “I haven’t seen Fernando German mystery man to send to Managua. They said in years,” he said. Small country.

56 THE TORTOISE ・ 2014 Through the few clues I assembled and some I was still dubious about their claims that roadside detective work interrogating locals, we even- the turtles they sell are all farm-raised, but they tually tracked down the restaurant. “Go all the way definitely do hatch some of their stock. A piping down the dirt road,” I directed, repeating instructions hatchling in one of the boxes was evidence as dogs barked alongside our SUV. Sure enough, the enough. While their incubation technique was road ended at a dry ravine, and switching into 4-wheel not well controlled or recorded, the young turtles drive, we climbed to a hand-painted sign that, trans- looked robust in spite of their lackluster accom- lated from Spanish, said, “Reptile Breeding Farm.” modations. Greeted by a whole pack of Rottweilers, I ginger- “All the ones under four inches have to go to ly opened the rear door of the car. other countries,” Fernando explained. “The U.S. “Don’t worry, they’re friendly!” exclaimed an is the only country with size limits, so we have to older man, with a voice and stature twice the size of raise some of them up for a year or two.” Sixty per- your average Nicaraguan. His smile was also larger cent of Fernando’s exports go to the U.S.; his other than life. big markets are Holland and Japan. I climbed out and was immediately greeted with I learned that later, Kaitlyn Foley, who was a firm handshake and approval to take as many pic- visiting from the Turtle Conservancy, and Paso tures as I’d like. Fernando and the iguana biologist Pacifico’s Country Director, Liza González, decid- embraced and talked about how long it had been ed to retrace my footsteps and revisit Fernando’s since they last met. Fernando motioned with his farm. At that time, Fernando reported that all of hands to follow him, and as we stepped through dogs his exports were the product of his 400 breeding and chickens, we gazed over rows of outdoor pens adults (200 males and 200 females). After viewing and greenhouses. a shipment of turtles being packed and prepared, Spiny-tailed iguanas, swifts, boas, and basilisks coupled with the fact that most of the Painted could be identified by painted signs of their Nicara- Wood Turtles observed in trade are larger, it just guan names. I snapped voucher photos and discov- didn’t add up. It is hard to imagine that all of the ered he indeed bred the vast majority of these animals exports were captive-bred, especially considering at his compound. At one point, a cluster of baby boas, the time and money investment to raise a turtle to still wrapped in amnion, fell from a palm-frond roof the sizes we’re seeing on the other end of the trade onto the ground next to us. Fernando’s son separated chain. So now the next question: Where do these them and put them in the hatchling pantry — essen- turtles come from in the wild? tially a green cupboard with shelves full of about 100 Currently, little is known about the existing hissing baby boas. populations of Wood Turtles in Nicaragua, so it’s I told Fernando I wanted to see the turtles, and hard to gauge exactly how extraction from the he took us to the far end of the yard. Corrugated steel wild affects populations. However, we can’t write pens with dirt floors and a concrete pond were dot- off the fact that we may be looking at a recipe for ted with shrubs and palm trees. Inside it looked like disaster, especially if we consider the increased de- a rock yard, with piles of river stones under each tree. mand from the pet trade and the likelihood that But instead of rocks, they were turtles. the quality of the habitat is decreasing due to loss, Striped, blue eyes poked out of the murky pond and pollution of water sources. as I walked by. A sandy area held up a wooden sign: Just like the country of Nicaragua, the nation’s “nesting area.” I picked up a few of the turtles and largest reptile exporter lives in anonymity just out- saw that besides overcrowding, they seemed gen- side of American view. Hidden and off the beaten erally alert and healthy, but caked in mud, stressed, path, the Lopez family struggles to make an honest and desperately seeking a place to hide. I also suspect living through any means necessary. They succeed Fernando’s workers picked off the ticks that com- like many other industries built off the country’s monly feed between the scutes of wild turtles. rich natural resources. It is hard to denounce any- Under an artificial canopy, a row of blue and thing anyone does when poverty is so widespread, white bins made up the nursery, protected from ants from selling parrots on street corners to eating na- seeking and hatchlings by a concrete four-inch tive flora and fauna. wide moat. The miniature moat doubled as a home In a roundabout way, Ronald Reagan should for tree frog tadpoles and the single largest collection be happy. The United States finally has brought of mosquito larvae I have ever seen. My exposed skin Nicaragua to embrace capitalism. He just never started to itch. thought to use turtles.

57 TC FIELD GRANTS

The Turtle Conservancy and Paso Pacifico Investigate the Trade in Central American Wood Turtles from Nicaragua by Sarah Otterstrom and Kaitlyn-Elizabeth Foley

Painted Wood Turtles (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima) range from Mexico to Costa Rica and live in dry tropical forest. They are active during the rainy season and sometimes can be found relatively easily and are collected in moderate numbers. This robust trade, combined with the fact that there is no CITES office in , is perhaps why this species has not yet been identified as needing CITES and IUCN protection.

Large volumes of wild caught Paint- However, there are many reasons to be concerned for its future. Less than ed Wood Turtles (Rhinoclemmys two percent of its original habitat remains intact and protected. At the pulcherrima manni) are imported by Strictly in Hollywood, same time, a large and growing trade is currently operating unchecked, Florida. and its impact on wild populations is unknown. To learn more about the trade and conservation of this species, our organizations, Paso Pacifico and the Turtle Conservancy, teamed up on a fact-finding mission to Nicaragua, where the trade is likely the most active. The following are some of our results. According to data obtained from the USFWS Division of Law Enforcement’s Law Enforcement Management Informa- tion System, the U.S. imported 707 shipments that were made up of 43,884 individual Rhinoclemmys turtles from 1999 to 2011. These include the Black River Turtle (Rhinoclemmys fu- nerea) and Spot-legged Turtle (Rhinoclemmys punctularia), MAXIMILIAN MAURER but over half of these were the Painted Wood Turtle. Even more concerning is that nearly 62 percent of the turtles im- ported reportedly came from the wild. Nicaragua historically has had a high volume of wild- life exports. In a six-year period ending in 2004, more than 694,000 individual reptiles were exported. Though dealers dubiously claim nearly 85 percent of these exports were from captive breeding, the scale of this trade is alarming. There are presently two authorized exporters ofRhi - noclemmys in Nicaragua. Their permits and annual export quotas are granted by the Ministry of the Environment based

MAXIMILIAN MAURER on the quantity of breeding females. One of the exporters re-

58 THE TORTOISE ・ 2014 ports having 200 breeding females, and another 100 breed- ing females beginning two years ago. Both exporters claim that they sell only specimens bred in captivity, as required by Nicaraguan law. The primary exporter with 200 breeding fe- males has been able to export a total of 11,933 Rhinoclemmys in the past five years. With clutch sizes of between three and five hatchlings, one is left to wonder how 200 turtles can be so productive.

The primary countries where the two companies are ex- RODRIGUES MAURICE porting specimens are the United States, Canada, Japan, Chi- na, Belgium, and Holland. Animals imported to the U.S. gen- erally go to large distributors including Strictly Reptiles, Two Amigos Imports, and California Zoological Supply. While the international trade is significant, at the very least it is docu- mented by the Nicaraguan authorities, perhaps enforced by the fact that the U.S. (mainly Miami) is the port of entry for most specimens traded to Europe and the United States. Unfortunately though, our study on trade uncovered a robust and undocumented domestic trade. We visited five

large pet stores in the capital city of Managua that had Painted MAXIMILIAN MAURER Wood Turtles on display. These stores report selling between

200 and 500 individuals during the rainy season months when hatchlings Amazingly more forms of Meso- can be found in the forest. All pet store owners claimed to have received american wood turtles are showing up in global wildlife markets. their turtles from authorized breeders, but they were unable to name the (top) Here are two rarely seen breeders when asked. One store claimed to be importing its turtles from Mexican Spotted Wood Turtles California! (Rhinoclemmys rubida) for sale at the Chatuchak Animal Market in The Nicaraguan CITES authority regulates international trade, but Bangkok, Thailand. there is no government oversight of the domestic trade. Where are these (bottom) A juvenile Painted Wood mascotas (pets) going in Nicaragua and who is caring for them? Stores Turtle (Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima manni) being offered for sale in a were not selling food or husbandry materials to help customers ade- Jakarta animal market. quately care for their turtles. If we assume an average of 330 turtles per store, then more than 1,650 turtles are being extracted from the wild per year. This is a significant drain on the total population. But this number does not include local trade of this mascota that is likely much higher. The bulk of Nicaragua’s pets are sold at stoplights and along highways. From parrots to monkeys to puppy dogs, there is a large trade of ani- mals taking place on the streets, and it is easy to imagine that wild-caught Painted Wood Turtles are but one more animal available on this active black market.

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