Every summer in small towns across America, children search woods and waters for turtles to compete in annual turtle races, longstanding traditions that often raise money for important causes.
But our nation's turtles are now dying off at alarming rates never-before seen, and it's time to end this tradition, which threatens to spread deadly diseases to both wild turtles and children.
After the races are over, most people release their turtles into the wild, undoubtedly thinking that no harm has been done. But races can expose turtles to disease, which then can spread to wild populations when turtles are released.
Threats like overexploitation and habitat loss have caused dramatic population declines in almost all U.S. turtle species, with many now either protected as endangered under the Endangered Species Act or under consideration for such protection. A new and emerging threat is a deadly wildlife disease called ranavirus that has caused turtle, frog and salamander die-offs in more than 25 states.
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