Stamford's (Conneticut )SoundWaters Rescues 22 Baby Turtles Bound For Soup Pots - via Herp Digest

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-turtles-saved-ct-20150211-story.html

Where there is a video of Leigh Shemitz, president of the SoundWaters environmental education center in Stamford, explains how the facility helped to rescue 22 baby diamondback terrapin turtles that were confiscated from international smugglers in Alaska.

By David Moran, Hartford Courant

SoundWaters, the Stamford-based environmental education center, received some unexpected guests in December just before the holidays. Twenty-two of them to be exact.

But staff at one of the leading environmental education organizations on Long Island Sound weren't about to complain.

SoundWaters' guests -- 22 baby diamondback terrapin turtles – had been seized from international smugglers in Alaska by officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service. The environmental group's brood were part of 211 baby turtles that were found stuffed into boots at the Anchorage airport in December of 2014.

The turtles were likely bound for China, where turtle soup is considered a delicacy and the market for turtles is lucrative, according to SoundWaters President Leigh Shemitz.

When Shemitz said SoundWaters learned that officials were looking for foster homes for the turtles, she said the facility "jumped at the opportunity."

"The call went out to people who are involved in turtle research and education to find home for these turtles," Shemitz said. "We're part of a nationwide group, they reached out, and we said we'll take as many as you need."

Shemitz said the turtles, which are about 4 to 6 months old and 1 to 2 inches in size, are "now thriving" at SoundWaters and plans are in place to introduce the turtles to the public in the spring. In the meantime, many of the turtles got to take their first plunge into deep water on Wednesday.

"Today's the first time they actually got into our terrapin exhibit and went from maybe a two-foot long small tank to actually being in a large tank where they can dive and climb and they really seem to like it," she said.