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In a world where change seems to be the only constant it sure is nice to have traditions that bring back fond memories of the time gone by. Traditions often bring together families, communities and sometimes even the entire nation. Some go beyond just uniting people and benefit some cause in the local community or elsewhere. There is no denying the fact that traditions deserve a place in our society but can we afford to continue with traditions that threaten the existence of the world around us? Is it fair, knowing what we know now, to continue with a tradition that puts our wildlife in jeopardy just because we have been doing it for decades? In this edition of Turtle Times we take a close look at a tradition that is threatening our wild turtle populations.

Turtle Derbies/RacesTurtle derbies, the focus of this article; are mostly well intended traditional events where groups of turtles are released in an inner circle and the first turtle to cross an outer circle is declared the winner. Variations do exist and in some cases individual tracks with a start and end point are used.

Turtle races have been documented in U.S since early 20th century. A Wikipedia article indicates that a turtle derby, dubbed by Chicago Daily Tribune as “The Strangest Race Ever Run”, was held in Chicago in 1902. The same article states that in 1921 a race involving Loggerhead sea turtles was conducted in Miami beach, FL.

101 Ranch in Kay County, Oklahoma seems to have started the tradition of annual turtle races. Starting around 1924 this particular race seems to have gone on till 1931. Wikipedia article indicates the race came to an end due to the great depression but data from Mr. David Lee indicates that the race being ruled as a lottery put an end to it. First prize winnings at the race seems to have amounted to over $7000 by the year 1930.

According to the Wikipedia article turtle races are popular in Canada and seems that the British enjoyed it as well. Canadian Turtle Derby held in Boissevain, Manitoba, attracts regional winners who compete for the title of

national champion turtle. Boissevain is now the host to the turtle racing hall of fame and also home to ‘Tommy the turtle’, a 28 foot tall statue of a Western Painted turtle.

In the U.S, most turtle races are conducted around the 4th of July weekend as part of Independence Day celebrations but turtle races are a common event in many county fairs and community events around the country. A 2007 report by Mr. Alex Heeb indicates that turtle races occur in at least 35 states with around 520 events. This number is considered to be on the conservative side given that smaller, undocumented events might be happening. It must be noted that some of these races are used as fund raisers that benefit local charities or organizations that benefit the community.

The Chesapeake Turtle Derby held at Patterson Park in MD appears to be the longest, continuously running turtle derby in the country. The event organized by the Baltimore City parks and recreation celebrated its 72nd year in 2012.

NOTE: Many bars and taverns across the nation now have ‘Turtle nights’ or ‘Turtle race night’s’ where patrons can place bets on turtles. A search on Youtube for ‘bar turtle race’ will show you what goes on at these events. It looks like most of the turtles used are sliders. I am choosing

to skip these events and focus on family friendly turtle derbies which are posing a threat to wild turtle populations. I am not saying that wild turtles are not used at the bars but there is not much info available yet on that front.

Another long standing traditional spring event is the John Hopkins Hospital turtle derby that has been conducted since 1931 in May. This particular race would arguably be the longest running race had it not been temporarily

At a Crossroads with Traditions

Timmy_Bobak Ha'Eri.jpg - Picture by Bobak Ha'Eri, Source Wikipedia

Winners at the 2011 Chesapeake Turtle Derb. Photo by David Lee, Tortoise Reserve.

stopped in the 70s. The race was back on track in 1980 and has been continuing since then. The audience in this event, sometimes over 500, includes young hospital patients and staff. In 2000 this derby raised $3500 for ‘Child Life Program’ and a local day care center that helped children being treated with cancer. In other years similar amounts have been raised to help the hospitalized children.

Bel Air, MD is the host to another popular 4th of July Independence Day celebrations that include a turtle race and frog jump events.

These races don’t seem to be necessarily clustered in any one region in the U.S. One thing is very clear, the popularity of these races is unquestionable and it doesn’t seem to be set to fade away anytime soon. Even zoos have joined the growing list of organizers of turtle races, Indianapolis zoo is the host of Annual Zoopolis 500 which celebrated its 31st year in 2012.

Harmless family fun?The turtle derbies are promoted as family friendly fun events that are harmless and as mentioned before lot of them are fundraiser events. Looking at the events you cannot claim that they are not family friendly. As for the event being harmless, that’s the tricky part of the equation. There are many consequences that are not obvious and my hope, like those who have voiced their concern before me, is to draw attention to these consequences.

At this juncture I need to draw attention to another tradition that involved turtles, Snapperfest. Snapperfest is an annual event that was held at the Campshore Campgrounds located off of State Route 56 in Dearborn, Indiana. The event was called ‘clean family fun’ by the organizer and it sure was if you are a family that loves cheering the physical abuse of helpless wild animals. The objective of the men’s category of the festival was for the contestant to run from the starting point and pick a snapping turtle out of many that were piled in a small stock tank, run back to the starting point with the turtle,

pull its head out and grab its neck by the fist. The man who completed the task in the shortest time was the winner. The women’s category involved the contestants running from the starting point to a stock tank, picking a soft-shell turtle from the stock tank and returning back to the starting point. The contestant who completed the above in the shortest period was declared the winner. During the course of the event the soft-shell turtles were dropped repeatedly and the snapping turtles were swung around while being held by their neck. The event was definitely not turtle friendly. The turtles used were wild caught and they are a game species in the state but nevertheless they did not deserve to be abused for human amusement. Here is a link to a video that captures what happened at Snapperfest. After a year of numerous petitions, e-mails to the governor’s office, DNR and even the White House the DNR announced that the event will

not be permitted to use live turtles anymore. For all we know this could be continuing behind the walls of the campground but at least it is not widely celebrated.

Coming back to the turtle derbies, the participants are not subject to obvious physical abuse at the event unlike the ill-fated turtles that were a part of Snapperfest. But, the ill effects of the derbies are far more reaching than that of Snapperfest

given the number of such derbies that are active around the country.

Both sides of the story

I haven’t personally observed any of the derbies so I turned to a few who have firsthand experience of these events. Any story has two sides and I am glad that I could find individuals who could help me see the views of both sides. I am very thankfully to the following individuals for their inputs on the subject.Mr. David Lee, from The Tortoise Reserve, has been a witness to turtle derbies ever since he was a child. Mr. Lee has lent his voice for many conservation efforts across the country and has personally observed the turtle derbies and written about them for many years. His article “Hot Tracks, Fast Turtles - The Unforeseen Consequences of

Well-intended Turtle Derbies” published by the Chicago Herp society in 2012 provided many valuable inputs for my article and honestly speaking scared me a bit.

Juliana Brafa, co-producer of the movie ‘Turtle Derby – The movie.' Juliana and her fiancé Todd found a wild turtle that Todd wanted to give to her nephew to race in a derby. Juliana wasn’t thrilled about the idea and that prompted Todd, himself a winner of a turtle derby from 26 years ago, to propose that they make a movie together about the derbies. Their movie focuses on the experiences of five families that participate in a derby. You can find a preview of the movie Turtle Derby – The movie

Scott McDaniel, from Susquehannock Wildlife Society. A filmmaker by training, Scott and his friends help with wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Scott and his friends have called for an end to the Bel Air Turtle Derby in MD but for now are focusing their efforts on educating the public to let the wild turtles be wild and avoid using them in the races.

Why the call for changes? Why now?Why focus on these races now? Why call for an end to a tradition that is in some instances more than half century old? The fast declining numbers of the wild turtle populations, the practices followed in the races and more alarmingly the confirmation of presence of ranavirus in wild turtle populations has energized the call for an end to these races. David Lee and many others have been voicing their concern about the races for many years now and in 2013 the Center for Biological Diversity has joined the movement. Thanks to social media and the power of the Internet in general more and more people are becoming aware of the threats posed by these races and are adding their voice for the cause.

Here are the issues that stem from these family friendly turtle races.

Thinning of wild turtle populations:In most cases the turtles used in the races are wild caught animals that are taken out of the wild solely for the purpose of being used in the races. Wild turtle populations are already under threat from habitat loss, collection for pet trade, mortality from road kill and mortality from

pollution of water sources and wild lands. Do we really need to challenge their odds by collecting them for human amusement as well in the name of tradition?

David Lee interviewed participants at a 2008 turtle derby and 89% of the turtles used were wild caught box turtles. 57% of turtles used in the 2012 Bel Air race were wild caught native box turtles. The Maryland department of natural resources had issued a note to not use any wild caught turtles in the races but that obviously didn’t help. In 2007 Mr. Alex Heeb estimated, based on the average number of turtles entered in the various documented races, that up to 26,000 box turtles were taken out of the wild for use in the various races.

A 1990 statistical model created by Doroff, A. M., and L. B. Keith shows that a 95% annual adult survival rate is needed for a stable population of ornate box turtles. Even if we assume that the numbers are a bit more promising for other species we cannot ignore the fact that at the current rate of removal of adults from the wild the populations won’t be sustainable.

In 2013, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat commission prohibited the use of wood and Eastern box turtles from

being used in the race. Participants who showed up with these species were not fined but much to their disappointment couldn’t enter the race. In Turtle Lake, N.D, only Western painted turtles were permitted. Encouraging change indeed but this is just the beginning because the sad fact is all species need protection because what was once considered a common species is now being declared an endangered species and I don’t think we need to wait for other common species to

attain that status as well.

Returning infected turtles to the wild: Most folks who collect turtles from the wild for use in races intend to return the turtles to the wild after the race. Some return them to the site where they were collected but many release them in the location nearest to them. This is a major cause of concern for many reasons. In Maryland there is a regulation that prohibits the release of turtles that were held in captivity or those that have come in contact with other captive turtles but the organizers of the races don’t make this clear to the participants.

Photo by David Lee, Tortoise Reserve

Returning the turtles to the wild has to be a good thing right? Sadly that’s not the case. Turtles that are sick often don’t exhibit any obvious signs and turtles that come in contact with them can be infected, depending on the health issue at hand. In these races the contestants are placed together in a ring and held there till the start of the race. At this point many different species are in contact with one another, wild caught turtles are in contact with captive pet turtles or freshly acquired turtles from stores. Many turtles and tortoises defecate in the race course and other places where other turtles and tortoises come in contact with them. Sadly, not all turtles that participate are subjected to a health check.

Most Russian tortoises that are imported have turned positive for Herpes virus. If a wild caught turtle gets infected with this virus and is released back into the wild it can possibly infect other native turtles and tortoises. David Lee even recounted one case where a mom had purchased a Russian tortoise for her kids to use in the race. They intended to release the tortoise into the wild after the race because they felt that would be in its best interest. Yikes!

The threat, more specifically the confirmed presence, of ranavirus in Eastern box turtles is what prompted the Center for Biological Diversity to reach out to the organizers of Bel Air Independence Day celebrations. The presence of the virus has been detected in box turtles in five counties in Maryland. Imagine someone collecting an infected Eastern box turtle in one county and releasing it in a different county after the race. The wild populations, if present, in the county are now at risk of being infected by the virus.

Let’s skip the possibility of cross infection and look at the survival rate of those turtles released back into the wild. Not all turtles are released back at the site of capture. Attempts in Pennsylvania to repatriate box turtles have revealed that turtles often wander off from the site of release and the sometimes disoriented turtles end up being road kills. Over 60% of the released turtles failed to establish new home ranges. That just doesn’t sound promising.

Interrupted nesting season: This one fact should be enough to make the organizers and agencies think hard about the current course of these races.

David Lee reports that turtles are collected as early as Memorial Day to be ‘trained’ for use in races. This means they are essentially held through a major portion of their egg laying period. If these turtles are returned back to the wild then there is the possibility they will lay their eggs but there is the very real possibility of them becoming egg bound from stress of being held in captivity. The chances

of survival of an egg bound turtle that is released back into the wild is slim at best.

Juliana Brafa confirmed David’s point by recounting an incident where a turtle that was captured for use in the race ended up laying eggs in the bathtub. David Lee reports that in 2003 a diamondback terrapin laid eggs right on the race course. I can only imagine what that turtle must have been through during the days it was held captive.

Humanitarian concerns for the turtles: Last but not the least are the humanitarian concerns for the turtles. Sadly, not many people think about this as they would if a cat or dog or any other mammal was involved. Maybe the turtles lack of difference in expression is to be blamed or their inability to squeal when they are in pain.

Most races are held on hot days when even a natural substrate like sand can get very hot. Most races are usually over in a minute or two and only on rare occasions do the races have to be restarted but still the fact remains that in many races the turtles are on extremely hot surfaces for the duration of the race. Before and after the race they are in holding containers and subjected to prolonged exposure to sun or are in overheated vehicles. PETA would be all over these events if it was a cat or dog that was being subjected to these conditions but why is it different when it is turtles? Do our lack of understanding of their suffering make it ok to subject them to these conditions? Ok, maybe this is a bit of a stretch but would you say it is fair enough to expect that turtles not be raced on surfaces where humans cannot stand on their bare feet for the duration of the race? I can live with that for now.

Next is the concern of the living conditions and quality of life of the wild turtles while they are being held in captivity before and after the race. This is one aspect that Juliana was very concerned with. She did mention that most folks she came across did care about the wellbeing of the turtle but they didn’t know exactly everything they need to know. David Lee recounts how one year he inspected many of the turtles that participated in a race and found many that had ear abscesses or eye infections as a result of poor captive conditions. If the organizers cannot keep the wild turtles out of the races then they should at least do a decent job of educating the participants.

Finally, there is the stress resulting from possible ‘training’ for the big day. The preview of Juliana and Todd’s movie shows a water turtle being trained in the bath tub by encouraging it to swim in the currents created by the running faucet. Juliana pointed out that not everyone seems to train the turtles for the races.

Where do we go next?People don’t like it when their traditions are changed so it is unreasonable to expect changes to happen overnight. Organizers will be reluctant to make changes as well, especially when money is involved. Ask those who have been battling rattlesnake roundups or rodeos and they will tell you how changes to traditional events is painfully slow. Granted that in some places like Maryland a swift action is an absolute necessity but even there sensitivity needs to be applied and smart changes need to be brought in to replace existing practices.

Replacing live turtle races with fake turtles is an option. The organizers might be skeptic about it but they need to look at how successful it is at the San Antonio Rattlesnake festival in FL.

The concern that kids might miss out on opportunity to learn about native turtles can be tackled by handing out informative flyers to those who register for the races. Kids can be encouraged to create their own fake turtle and they can model it after a native species that they like the most. Educational booths at the festivities will also provide the kids and adults an opportunity to learn about native wildlife without straining the wild populations. Last but not the least, well planned field trip opportunities for participants as well as spectators can be offered either by the state agencies or local clubs. Scott McDaniel’s and friends from Susquehannock Wildlife Society along with friends from Mid Atlantic Turtle and Tortoise society helped educate the public at this year’s Bel Air Independent day celebrations. Julian and Todd along with friends handed out educational flyers to participants of the New Berlin Turtle Derby in Pennsylvania. They also took the time to teach the kids about the species they had along with other fun facts that the kids enjoyed. These folks have set a precedent that can be followed by other clubs and groups around the nation.

If there is an absolute resistance to do away with what has been done for decades then state agencies should at least enforce that wild turtles should not be used and strictly enforce that regulation. John Hopkins Hospital has for years now rented turtles from turtle farms for use in the races and the turtles are returned after the race. Granted that it is not a very pleasant experience for those farmed turtles but at least this would buy some time for the wild populations.

Juliana stressed that there is absolutely no need for any more new turtle derbies and I couldn’t agree more. There are many other alternatives to raise funds, to bring families together and have fun without stressing out wildlife. Local clubs and other conservation groups need to take swift action if they hear about the possibility of any new turtle derbies.

Juliana pointed out that it is often the adults who are very excited and they are more disappointed that the kids when their turtle loses. As a dad myself I understand the desire to pass on our traditions to our kids but let’s also take a pledge to leave a beautiful world for them to enjoy, one where wild turtles are a part of it. Let’s start some new traditions that our kids would thank us for. To quote Dr. Seuss “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not. Let’s all care a whole awful lot.

References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_racing

David Lee - “Hot Tracks, Fast Turtles - The Unforeseen Consequences of Well-intended Turtle Derbies” published by the Chicago Herp society in 2012

Photo by David Lee, Tortoise Reserve

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