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Need more proof that PETCO doesn’t care about animals? Because of newly reported cases of salmonella that have been linked to pet turtles, the company has launched a “turtle relinquishment program,” which encourages people to bring in their pet turtles and give them to PETCO.The retail giant told PETA that people who give up their turtles are told that the animals will get to “grow up” at Concordia Turtle Farm.
But the truth, according to PETCO, is that many of these turtles are actually recycled back into the pet trade!
And Concordia Turtle Farm? It’s actually a massive turtle meat factory farm that ships more than 2 million hatchlings overseas annually, mostly to China, for slaughter!
PETCO should not be selling turtles to begin with, let alone recycling them back into the pet trade and/or doing business with a massive turtle meat factory farm! E-mail James Myers, CEO of PETCO, at jamesm@petco.com and urge him to stop supporting the suffering of turtles.
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61 days ago
0
i think that its ok just that if there okay thats okay if there not oky than no that was not okay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
78 days ago
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Tips to save wedding dresses
92 days ago
0
I do not see anything wrong with what Petco is doing, as long as they tell turtle owners that the turtles they give up will be resold. As far as selling them to China for meat, the turtles in the relinquishment program are NOT being sold as meat.
94 days ago
0
I’m sure the people at PETCO aren’t aware of this, though. In the stores, I mean. They are probably fed the same bs as everyone else.
126 days ago
0
I love turtles so much and i think its disaster turtles is one of the most awesome creatures in the world, so me and my 10yeasr testudo horsfieldii Dora will write e-mail and say no for supporting the suffering of turtles.
133 days ago
0
oh my god! how could a PET STORE send animals to their death and have people donate their pets to them just so they could make money off of the turtles meat. that is just sick!
154 days ago
0
Breitling, Breitling Airwolf
192 days ago
0
Wow? This is just sad, I can’t believe they would even do this to begin with!
204 days ago
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Stuff like this makes me so sad. I hope they can find it in their hearts to actually do the right thing.
210 days ago
0
this is just downright sad and cruel.
214 days ago
0
this is wrong on so many levels
223 days ago
0
I thought Petco was supposed to be an animal friendly store…shame
224 days ago
2
oh my gosh. i love turtles so much. HELP SAVE THE TURTLES<3
222 days ago
1
D: This is so wrong! Turtles are my absolute favourite animal, how could anyone eat them?!?!? I mean, come on, just because we CAN, doesn’t give humans the right to eat anything that walks. wtf.
227 days ago
1
I have a pet tutle and CANNOT see her as meat…”cries :’( “
224 days ago
0
me too! i love my baby turtle. save the turtles!
228 days ago
0
not my pet turtle i love it i hate petco
229 days ago
2
Hey, fellow animal lovers! I think this sounds disgusting.. And I have emailed James Myer at PETCO and this is what they had to say about the program:
Thank you for your email and your concern for animals. It’s important to know that the claims PETA is making about our Turtle Relinquishment Program are simply untrue. We are not and would never collect turtles, or any other animals, to be shipped overseas and used for food. Here are the facts about our program.
Petco introduced our Turtle Relinquishment Program in an effort to address ongoing salmonella infections linked to turtles by removing undersized and unwanted turtles from public circulation. Our program is designed to educate pet parents on ways to prevent salmonella and make it easy for people to safely relinquish unwanted pets, rather than releasing them into the wild or disposing of them in other undesirable ways.
The program does not, in any way, generate a profit for Petco; in fact, it is a cost to our business to operate.
As you may know, the sale of turtles under 4-inches in size is illegal in the United States. Unfortunately, some baby and undersized turtles continue to be sold illegally at street fairs, in flea markets and elsewhere, and then are kept as pets.
All illegal/undersized turtles (under 4 inches in length) relinquished to Petco as part of our program are sent to Concordia Turtle Farm in Louisiana at Petco’s cost. Those turtles are then placed in “grow out” ponds where they are carefully raised and can grow to the proper and legal size for pet ownership. Any legal size, healthy turtles relinquished to Petco may also be sent to Concordia for the same process, or kept and placed up for adoption from one of our stores as part of our Think Adoption First program.
None of the turtles sent to Concordia through Petco’s relinquishment program are shipped overseas.
Once they reach a legal and healthy size for pet ownership, those turtles are typically sold back to us at a standard cost and made available for purchase by responsible pet parents.
At Petco, the health and well-being of people and animals is always our top priority, and our Turtle Relinquishment Program is no exception. The program is an important effort to educate consumers about salmonella and to create an easy way for people to relinquish illegal and unwanted pets.
The CDC also offers information and advice to consumers on this topic: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/small-turtles-03-12/advice-consumers.html
Thank you again for your passion for animals and for seeking the truth about our program.
Who believes their garbage, when the world’s largest animal saving programs and hardest workers for the right of animal lives are PETA?
226 days ago
1
Hey @Kyle,
Thanks for writing to PETCO about this!
PETCO’s response is full of lies. This company only cares about making a profit!
PETCO’s supplier, the farm they are sending these turtles to, is the same business that exports turtles to China and other countries for meat. The farm exports 2 million hatchlings each year, and most are raised for meat.
Even if the surrendered turtles don’t end up as food, they are very likely to “grow up” at the farm and then be (re)sold into the pet trade, or perhaps even given right back to PETCO to sell once they are larger than 4 inches.
The farm also raises 60,000 turtles every year for PETCO alone. If PETCO were actually worried about public health and safety, the company would stop selling reptiles altogether, because all reptiles carry salmonella!
Be sure to urge everyone you know to take action and ask PETCO why they are selling turtles at all, and why they are doing business with a turtle meat farm!
Thanks so much!
~Rachel S. with peta2
230 days ago
1
I have pet turtles… ~is never going to Petco again~
230 days ago
0
STOP ANIMALS MATTER MORE THAN YOUR MONEY DOES~!!!!!
231 days ago
1
Ignorant people harming innocent beings.
232 days ago
0
Why would people eat turtle meat in the first place? That’s ridiculous.
232 days ago
0
I need to punch them idoits!!!!!
236 days ago
0
OMG This is horrible!
O.o Why can’t they just let turtles be. :/
To lie to people, slaughter turtles, and just in general sell and produce them and ask for them back and resell! That’s cruel :[
236 days ago
0
That’s horrible