Florida softshell turtle. Photo by Flickr user john picken used under a Creative Commons License

****Dear readers:
I’m off taking a break for a week. I’ll be back here in my blog on Monday, May 2. See you then!! /Gary****

Dear readers:
My friend Eric Mills, Coordinator for ACTION FOR ANIMALS in Oakland, CA, sent the following email to the following people. I think it speaks for itself. I’m sure Eric (and thousands of dead and dying turtles and bullfrogs) would appreciate it if you add your own voice (and emails!) to this fight. The email addresses are below. Thanks for caring! Please send Eric a copy of any emails you send on this (afa@mcn.org). /Gary

From: afa@mcn.org
To: nfoley@dfg.ca.gov, smastrup@dfg.ca.gov, director@dfg.ca.gov, fgc@fgc.ca.gov, secretary@resources.gov
Cc: senator.pavley@sen.ca.gov, assemblymember.huffman@assembly.ca.gov
Sent: Thu, 21 Apr 2011
Subject: NON-PERMITTED TURTLES IN SAN FRANCISCO LIVE FOOD MARKETS
April 21 (John Muir’s birthday, who’s doubtless rolling in his grave)

Greetings, all:
Well, the mayhem continues.  I just returned from another visit to the San Francisco live animal food markets.  Little has changed — except for the  worse, perhaps.
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Bullfrog photo by Brian Murphy, Walnut Creek, CA

Dear Gary:
It is truly gratifying to see the overwhelming support for Assembly Bill 376, co-authored by Assemblymembers Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), which would ban the importation, possession and sale of shark fins for shark fin soup.

The bill has its first hearing on March 22 before the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, chaired by Mr. Huffman; Mr. Fong is also on that committee.

Support letters are needed now.  ALL STATE LEGISLATORS MAY BE WRITTEN C/O THE STATE CAPITOL, SACRAMENTO, CA  95814.  (There’s also a growing movement in Asia to ban this ugly and unsustainable commerce.)

Once the shark fin issue is resolved, I’m hoping that our legislators and the general public will take a hard look at the very similar problems found in the many live animal food markets throughout California.  We annually import some TWO MILLION American bullfrogs (commercially raised in Taiwan), plus an estimated 300,000-400,000 freshwater turtles (all taken from the wild in states east of the Rockies).
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Freshwater turtle. Photo by Flickr user zevotron used under a Creative Commons License

Dear Gary:
FROG/TURTLE ALERT – E-MAILS/CALLS URGENTLY NEEDED NOW.

The Mandate of the State Fish & Game Commission is to protect the state’s natural resources. Toward that end, the Commission voted twice (5:0 in March) and (3:0 in May) to no longer issue permits to import live frogs and turtles for the live animal markets. Sadly, the battle is not over.
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Bullfrog. Photo by Flickr user John-Morgan used under a Creative Commons License

Frog & turtle ban at live animal food markets! Finally!

Wow, is this good news! And we owe it all to Eric Mills of Action For Animals (see his letter below) who has been leading this fight for years! Please drop Eric an e-mail at afa@mcn.org and thank him for his his dedication in helping to end the suffering of untold numbers of animals! Eric truly fights the good fight. Thanks, Eric … /Gary

April 12, 2010
TO: VARIOUS MEDIA
FROM: ERIC MILLS, COORDINATOR, ACTION FOR ANIMALS
RE: VICTORY!  LIVE ANIMAL FOOD MARKETS – FROG/TURTLE BAN

Greetings, all:
** See attachment from the State Fish & Game Commission at end of this note.

THIS IS A BIG DEAL, SO I’M HOPEFUL THAT THE MEDIA WILL GIVE THIS ISSUE THE PUBLICITY IT DESERVES.  It will spare the lives and prevent the suffering of millions of animals, while protecting the environment and the public health.
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Florida softshell turtle. Photo by Flickr user John Picken used under a Creative Commons License.

My friend Eric Mills, coordinator of Action For Animals in , Calif., sent the following letter to the Director of Calif. Department of Fish & Game, and to the Calif. Fish & Game Commission. It pertains to the Live Animal Food Markets in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond throughout the state. Many illegal creatures are presently being sold in these markets and Eric has been fighting the good fight for years, trying to stop this travesty.

He’s getting close (GO ERIC!) … the Commission just voted to issue NO future important permits for these frogs and turtles for the live markets. Unfortunately, this still allows current sales to continue for up to a year. What they need to do now is to BAN the current sales of these animals. /Gary

Eric’s letter, written March 24, 2010:
John McCamman, Director
DEPARTMENT OF FISH & GAME

John Carlson, Exec. Director, and Members
FISH & GAME COMMISSION

Gentlemen:
Over the years I’ve been making weekly visits to the live animal markets in both Oakland and San Francisco to see whether or not state laws and codes are being enforced.  In a word, they are not.
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Bullfrog, non-native. (Brian Murphy/Walnut Creek)

REQUEST FOR LETTERS/E-MAILS – SEPT. 25 DEADLINE

I just got the letter below from Eric Mills, coordinator for Action For Animals In Oakland. Eric has been trying for years to get the state Fish and Game Commission to ban the importation of non-native frogs and turtles that are sold in California’s many live animal food markets. These creatures are diseased, spreading deadly infections to our native amphibians and reptiles and killing them. They are also (illegally) released into the local environments, creating havoc and destruction in local native populations.

Please read Eric’s letter and then send a quick e-mail or letter to the Fish and Game Commission, supporting a proposed ban on the import of these frogs and turtles. Thanks for caring! /Gary
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Bullfrog by Brian Murphy, Walnut Creek, CA

Update on Live Animal Markets — Turtles and Frogs.

The State Fish & Game Commission met in Sacramento Wednesday and Thursday,  May 13-14.

Gary:
I gave the Commissioners and the Department a 50 page packet of materials, 1997 to present, a compilation of various letters, laws, reports, etc., on this issue, much of which dates from before the current Commissioners’ tenure.

** A just-published scientific study reports that California imports more than TWO MILLION American bullfrogs annually for human consumption (mostly from Taiwan and China) and that 62% of them are infected with the dreaded CHYTRID FUNGUS … a prime suspect in the extinctions of scores of frogs and other amphibians around the world in recent years.
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