Press: Passports for pet tortoises

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Posted by Wes von Papine�u on July 24, 2001 at 06:37:22:

NATURE NEWS SERVICE (London, UK) 24 July 01 Passports for pet tortoises - Fears of livestock disease prompts United States to curb tortoise travel. (Tom Clarke)
Some pet tortoises in the United States must now carry passports to cross state lines. The documents certify that they are free of ticks. Finalized last week by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the rule is designed to protect the United States from a deadly livestock disease native to Africa.
The travel restrictions apply to three species of African tortoise popular with reptile fanciers. Importation and movement of the animals has been banned since March 2000, when shipments from Africa were found to be carrying a tick (Amblyomma sp.) that spreads the disease heartwater.
Heartwater, caused by a parasitic microbe (Cowdria ruminantium), kills ruminants - cows, sheep, goats and deer. It makes the membrane surrounding the heart fill with fluid. African livestock, in which heartwater is widespread, have some resistance to the disease. If it broke out in the United States, however, 80 per cent of US cattle could be killed, the USDA estimates.
Heartwater has never been seen in the Americas. Most of the United States is probably too cold for the tropical ticks, but some southern states could be warm enough for them to survive.
"Our greatest concern is that these ticks could establish themselves in a place like Florida," says entomologist David Wilson of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Riverdale, Maryland. One tick found on a tortoise in Florida last year is suspected to have been carrying the disease.
The new rules do not affect the animals commonly kept as pets, instead applying to the leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis), the African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) and Bell's hingeback tortoise (Kinixys belliana), all highly prized by tortoise enthusiasts.
"[These] are the biggest part of my business," says Richard Fife, a commercial breeder of 'high-dollar' tortoises in Hereford, Arizona. "The initial ruling put me out of business for four months," he says.
The relaxed USDA ruling, which tolerates interstate trips for tortoises certified as tick-free by a state-recognized vet, follows a public consultation with tortoise owners and breeders, disease experts and representatives of the cattle industry.
The examination and subsequent permit to travel will cost $25-50 per tortoise, with a discount for bulk transport. Despite the increased cost and inconvenience, "there wasn't a whole lot of opposition," from the reptile industry, says Fife. Most people who move African tortoises around the country are commercial breeders who have a stable, tick-free tortoise turnover, he says.
The import ban will stay in place indefinitely, according to Wilson. As well as possibly benefiting business by removing cheap, imported animals from the market, the ban may help tortoises in Africa, where numbers are declining as a result of the pet trade.

PRESS ASSOCIATION (London, UK) 24 July 01 Passports issued to pet tortoises
Officials in the US are issuing healthy pet tortoises with passports in a bid to prevent disease.
The documents certify that the animals are free of disease and can safely be moved across state lines.
The Department of Agriculture came up with the system to protect livestock from a tick which is native to Africa.
Three species of African tortoise must have passports to travel. They can carry Amblyomma which spreads a disease called heartwater.
Heartwater can kill cows, sheep, goats and deer by making the membrane surrounding the heart fill with fluid.
Experts estimate that if the disease broke out in the US, around 80% of US cattle could be killed.
The US Department of Agriculture's David Wilson told the journal Nature: "Our greatest concern is that these ticks could establish themselves in a place like Florida."
Passport papers must travel with the leopard tortoise, the African spurred tortoise and Bell's hingeback tortoise - all of which are popular among collectors.
http://www.ananova.co.uk/news/story/sm_358548.html

Passports for pet tortoises

Follow Ups:

OH no! Where do I have to go for my permit in NYC? n/p Esther 07/24/01 (3)
- you are joking, no? ... EJ 07/24/01 (2)
  - Re: you are joking, no? ... chip 07/26/01 (1)
    - Ahhhhhh, I see now... EJ 07/26/01 (0)

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: NATURE NEWS SERVICE (London, UK) 24 July 01 Passports for pet tortoises - Fears of livestock disease prompts United States to curb tortoise travel. (Tom Clarke) : Some pet tortoises in the United States must now carry passports to cross state lines. The documents certify that they are free of ticks. Finalized last week by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the rule is designed to protect the United States from a deadly livestock disease native to Africa. : The travel restrictions apply to three species of African tortoise popular with reptile fanciers. Importation and movement of the animals has been banned since March 2000, when shipments from Africa were found to be carrying a tick (Amblyomma sp.) that spreads the disease heartwater. : Heartwater, caused by a parasitic microbe (Cowdria ruminantium), kills ruminants - cows, sheep, goats and deer. It makes the membrane surrounding the heart fill with fluid. African livestock, in which heartwater is widespread, have some resistance to the disease. If it broke out in the United States, however, 80 per cent of US cattle could be killed, the USDA estimates. : Heartwater has never been seen in the Americas. Most of the United States is probably too cold for the tropical ticks, but some southern states could be warm enough for them to survive. : "Our greatest concern is that these ticks could establish themselves in a place like Florida," says entomologist David Wilson of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Riverdale, Maryland. One tick found on a tortoise in Florida last year is suspected to have been carrying the disease. : The new rules do not affect the animals commonly kept as pets, instead applying to the leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis), the African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) and Bell's hingeback tortoise (Kinixys belliana), all highly prized by tortoise enthusiasts. : "[These] are the biggest part of my business," says Richard Fife, a commercial breeder of 'high-dollar' tortoises in Hereford, Arizona. "The initial ruling put me out of business for four months," he says. : The relaxed USDA ruling, which tolerates interstate trips for tortoises certified as tick-free by a state-recognized vet, follows a public consultation with tortoise owners and breeders, disease experts and representatives of the cattle industry. : The examination and subsequent permit to travel will cost $25-50 per tortoise, with a discount for bulk transport. Despite the increased cost and inconvenience, "there wasn't a whole lot of opposition," from the reptile industry, says Fife. Most people who move African tortoises around the country are commercial breeders who have a stable, tick-free tortoise turnover, he says. : The import ban will stay in place indefinitely, according to Wilson. As well as possibly benefiting business by removing cheap, imported animals from the market, the ban may help tortoises in Africa, where numbers are declining as a result of the pet trade. : : PRESS ASSOCIATION (London, UK) 24 July 01 Passports issued to pet tortoises : Officials in the US are issuing healthy pet tortoises with passports in a bid to prevent disease. : The documents certify that the animals are free of disease and can safely be moved across state lines. : The Department of Agriculture came up with the system to protect livestock from a tick which is native to Africa. : Three species of African tortoise must have passports to travel. They can carry Amblyomma which spreads a disease called heartwater. : Heartwater can kill cows, sheep, goats and deer by making the membrane surrounding the heart fill with fluid. : Experts estimate that if the disease broke out in the US, around 80% of US cattle could be killed. : The US Department of Agriculture's David Wilson told the journal Nature: "Our greatest concern is that these ticks could establish themselves in a place like Florida." : Passport papers must travel with the leopard tortoise, the African spurred tortoise and Bell's hingeback tortoise - all of which are popular among collectors. : http://www.ananova.co.uk/news/story/sm_358548.html

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