October 10, 2008

Over 1,000 turtles were euthanized this week in Oregon after they tested positive for Salmonella. (Pet Pulse Illustration by Tim Mattson)

PENDLETON, Ore. -– Nearly 1,000 confiscated Red-eared Slider turtles have been euthanized by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife after they were found to have salmonella.

The Department collected 728 baby turtles from a Hermiston, Ore. residence on Sept. 5. The owner, Emmelyn Caliso, had been selling the Red-eared Sliders, which are native to the Southeast quadrant of the United States.

The turtles were considered illegal, as it is prohibited to traffic or possess any non-native wildlife species in the state.

After the USFWS collected the initial batch of turtles it issued a notice, alerting residents that the quarter-sized baby turtles were illegal and could potentially carry salmonella.

Within less than two weeks, over 1,000 turtles were surrendered to the USFWS.

The turtles have been held by the USFWS for the past month, quarantined while they underwent salmonella testing.

Over 1,000 of the turtles tested positive for the contagious infection, which can cause medical complications relating to gastroenteritis. It can prove especially harmful for young children and elderly persons.

"We did a sampling of them and they have tested positive for salmonella," Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Meg Kennagy said.

"Because of that and the fact that there is the FDA ban on the list of distribution on the Red-eared Sliders it would have been irresponsible to try and place these turtles elsewhere."

The FDA bans the distribution of turtles if their shells are less than four inches long. The confiscated turtles' shells were about one inch in diameter.

Caliso told officer in September that she purchased the turtles from a broker in California, as Pet Pulse previously reported.

This information came just weeks after a salmonella outbreak in Los Angeles County was announced on Sept. 23.

Over 100 people, mostly children, were affected by the same strain of the disease. Twenty-four people had to be hospitalized, KNBC reported.

"We should honor the fact that the FDA and the Center for Disease Control have put this ban into effect for a reason," Kenagy said. "Turtles are notorious carriers of salmonella, and little kids can easily get sick from it. And when little kids get sick, they often get very very sick."

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KNBC News contributed to this article.