A bust in Mexico has demonstrated the sheer size of the illegal turtle trade market. 

What's happening?

According to Mongabay, 2,339 wild turtles, along with 2,619 pounds of shark fins, 3,459 pounds of sea cucumbers, and 86 pounds of totoaba swim bladders, were confiscated on the way to China. 

The value of everything found was worth $7.3 million. The items were found in five locations in Baja California and Jalisco. The operation was run by an unnamed company based in Guadalajara. 

Authorities haven't seized this many turtles since 2020, when 15,000 were discovered in Mexico City being illegally trafficked. 

The bust was a joint effort between the "Navy, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," per Mongabay.

Taggert Butterfield, the scientific director of turtle conservation nonprofit Estudiantes Conservando la Naturaleza, told the publication, "This is the first major bust where the government used intelligence [gathering] and collaboration with other agencies to make a significant confiscation."

Almost half of the turtles died, but about 1,700 survivors were taken to the Guadalajara Zoo, where they are being quarantined and monitored by veterinarians. 

Many animals saved from traffickers are never able to return to their habitats. The turtles in this case will be released back into the wild if possible, provided their original habitats can be determined. 

The turtles seized were of various species, some of which were only described in the last few years. For example, the Vallarta mud turtle was only described by scientists in 2018, and there are only about 300 in the wild. 

Why is animal trafficking concerning?

As Mongabay detailed, when traffickers transport turtles, it's often in filthy conditions. They might be taped and bound, and they have been kept in plastic containers or stuffed in socks. 

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The publication said, "They're frequently shipped with animals from other regions, putting them at high risk of infections that could spread to other turtles or to humans." 

While not all non-native species are invasive when introduced to new environments, transmitting diseases is one of the potential risks of invasive species. 

According to the World Wildlife Fund, "'zoonotic' diseases have been responsible for all recent outbreaks and pandemics that have threatened our global health, including COVID-19, HIV and Ebola." 

Additionally, 70% of human diseases originated in animals.

Conservationists say punishments need to be harsher "so that penalties act as a deterrent," per Mongabay. 

What's being done about animal trafficking?

Luckily, there are people fighting this battle. For example, Andrea Crosta founded the nonprofit Earth League International, which gathers information on trafficking and then passes it to authorities. 

Often, police departments and other public protection authorities are too busy handling other crimes to gather the intelligence needed to take down these illegal activities. 

Donating to organizations doing this vital work can make a huge difference in stopping animal trafficking operations. 

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