Barbaric turtle-“racing” events typically involve taking wild turtles out of their habitats, keeping them confined, changing their diets, traumatizing them, and either releasing them or killing them once the events are complete. Competitors at the races make loud noises to frighten the animals in an effort to encourage them to move faster. Turtles only move quickly when they believe their lives are in danger. And that belief is not wrong—there’s a very high mortality rate among turtles used for “races” due to overexposure to heat, poor diet, severe crowding, improper substrate, and high risk of infection as a result of being handled by humans and being housed together.
Turtles who manage to survive these events are typically not returned to the exact place they were found, which decreases their likelihood of survival. An estimated 80% of relocated turtles don’t survive. And sadly, those who do are likely to wander in search of their former homes indefinitely because of extreme site fidelity.
Please politely urge the following officials to scrap turtle “races” being held on their watch. Ask them to help ensure that turtles are left alone in nature, where they belong!
Longville Chamber of Commerce Facebook
City of Longville
[email protected]
218-363-2022
Longville Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
218-363-2630
Tom Dollins, Longville Chamber of Commerce President
[email protected]
218-363-2124
City of Perham Government Facebook
Perham Area Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
218-346-7710
Leah Monson, Marketing and Administrative Assistant
Perham Area Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
Nick Murdock, Executive Director
Perham Area Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
Dan Schroeder, Sales
Perham Area Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
Nick Theroux, Accounting
Perham Area Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce Facebook
Nisswa Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
218-963-2620
