27 alligator snapping turtles were recently released in East Texas, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said on Monday.
According to the TWPD, the turtles were confiscated from a fish hatchery in Louisiana in 2016 after being poached in Texas and transported to the neighboring state.
Alligator snapping turtles, a rare species of large turtles that weigh up to 150 pounds, are a popular food with a limitation in Louisiana, the TPWD said.
“Alligator snapping turtles have been protected in Texas since the 1970s,” Meredith Longoria, assistant director of the TPWD Wildlife Division, said in a press release. “We have a unique opportunity to not only bring these turtles back to the Texas area they were taken from, but also to learn more about their habits and biology so we can more effectively conserve Texas populations to keep them viable for generations to ensure Come on. “
Texas Game Wardens investigated turtle poaching from Texas to Louisiana in 2017, a federal violation according to the TWPD.
TPWD staff worked with turtle researchers across the state on a genetic analysis of the turtles to identify the East Texas river basin from which they came.
Each turtle is also equipped with radio tags that allow researchers to monitor their habits, the TPWD.
[ad_1]
