It took a global pandemic to finally open the world’s eyes to a horror we at American Tortoise Rescue have been fighting for over 20 years. While many people once thought live “wet” food markets were a problem contained within China, the reality is much closer to home. These markets exist throughout North America—in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York—and they are centers of unimaginable suffering and significant public health risk.

Millions of Turtles Brutally Butchered Millions of turtles are routinely snatched from the wild and funneled into these markets. Once there, they are treated as inanimate objects rather than living, breathing creatures. We have seen them stacked four and five deep in crates, left for days without a single drop of water or a scrap of food.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking sight is seeing these precious turtles turned upside down in the sun, their soft underbellies exposed, unable to right themselves as they wait for a terrifying end. They are often butchered while fully conscious, a practice so egregious it breaks our hearts every time we have to document it.

A Breeding Ground for Disease As a nurse, I have always looked at these markets through the lens of public health. Many of the most devastating diseases in human history—SARS, AIDS, and COVID-19—started with humans consuming stressed, diseased animals.

Necropsies performed on animals taken from these markets consistently show that they are diseased or heavily parasitized. While it is strictly illegal to sell such products for human consumption, it happens every day. The list of pathogens revealed in these animals is a “who’s who” of human health threats:

• E. coli and Salmonella: Both potentially fatal to humans.
• Pasturella: A serious bacterial threat.
• Giardia and Blood Parasites: Common in these stressed populations.
• Malaria: Incredibly, even cases of malaria have been revealed in market animals.

When animals are stressed and frightened, their immune systems collapse, making them the perfect “vessels” for unleashing diseases that can jump to humans.

The “Save Us!” Campaign: How You Can Help Some news outlets are finally beginning to report on these practices, but we cannot wait for the news cycle to catch up to the crisis. We need to spread the word far and wide to protect these animals from extinction and protect our communities from the next pandemic.

Through our “Save Us!” fundraising campaign, American Tortoise Rescue is taking the fight directly to the source:

1. Legislative Outreach: we are reaching out to lawmakers in major hubs like LA, SF, and New York to demand the permanent closure of these live markets.
2. Public Information: We are placing targeted ads to inform the public about the cruelty and the health risks associated with wet markets.
3. Abolishing the “Live Market” Slaughter: Our goal is to end the cruel importation and exploitation of all turtle species for food.

Enough thinking—it is time for action. Please do not let our precious turtles continue to suffer this pain and cruel killing. Support the “Save Us!” campaign today and help us ensure these ancient creatures don’t face extinction on our watch.