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Disappointingly, the city of Longville, Minnesota, apparently encourages residents to trap turtles every summer and uses them in “races” each Wednesday from June through August!
Turtle-racing events typically involve removing wild turtles from their habitats, keeping them confined, changing their diets, otherwise traumatizing them, and either releasing them or killing them once the events are complete. Competitors at the races make loud noises to scare them in an effort to encourage them to move faster. Turtles only move quickly when they believe their lives are in danger. Although we don’t know exactly what becomes of those used by Longville, turtles exploited in such events typically aren’t returned to the exact place they were found, which decreases their likelihood of survival. Passing turtles around among humans or housing them together, a common practice when they’re used for these events, risks infection.
Please politely urge city officials to scrap these cruel events and leave the turtles in peace in nature, where they belong!