Georgia Farmer’s Turtles on the Run
OutdoorHub Reporters 07.20.12
Unfortunately, the hare was absent from the race out of a Georgia farmer’s pen. Turtle farmer David Driver reported 1,600 reptiles missing after bandits tore down or stole metal siding fencing last week from a turtle pond where he bred turtles.
The reptiles, including snapping turtles, soft-shelled, eastern paints and more all fled, albeit slowly, into nearby ponds and openings in the forest near Summerville, Georgia. Driver’s biggest regret was that he lost about four years’ worth of work. It’s a blow to his business, especially to lose adult turtles. He depends on them to lay the eggs needed to spawn the next generation of turtles.
Driver lost 1,600 of his 2,200 turtles. He farms the turtles to sell the hatchlings to pet-growing operations in Florida while others are air-freighted to China where they become someone’s evening meal, according to the Chattanooga News.
In China, soft-shell and snapper turtles are raised just like chickens are in the United States. This year the turtle-selling business has been bad. The price of a baby snapping turtle fell from $14 a year ago to $7 currently.
Driver is one of three turtle farmers in Georgia. He found out about the vandalism from neighbors who called to tell him his turtles were escaping over roads. Police suspect the vandals just wanted the metal since they also took the tailgate of Driver’s old green jeep. An investigation and search is underway.
