Photo courtesy: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
A Florida man’s attempt to turn a shelf ornament into quick cash via Facebook Marketplace instead led to him being charged with a felony wildlife offense. A man’s offer of a rare turtle shell for $2,700 turned into an investigation involving one of the most protected animals in Florida waters.The investigation began June 30, after a Boynton Beach police officer reported an online listing for the shell to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.The listing on Facebook Marketplace described the item as a “rare tortoise shell,” was claimed to be in “excellent condition,” and was priced at $2,700. The accompanying photos were clear enough for investigators to identify the item as the shell of an Atlantic hawksbill sea turtle, a species not often found for sale in someone’s living room.Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles are protected under the Florida Sea Turtle Protection Act and the federal Endangered Species Act. Hawksbill turtles are among the rarest species of sea turtles that regularly appear in Florida waters, according to wildlife officials. Their engraved amber shells were prized for generations to make jewelry, hair combs and decorative inlays, a trade that decimated the population before it was banned in the United States.
FWC officers tracked the location to a home in Lake Worth Beach. They contacted Addison Mullen, 63, on July 1. Mullen admitted to possessing the hawksbill shell, according to investigators, but said he would not produce it without a search warrant. He also told officers he had “paperwork” for the shell, but refused to show it.On July 6, officers returned with a search warrant. They said they found the shell placed on a shelf in the residence and seized it.
Again, Mullen had no documentation proving it was obtained legally. Officers took the shell to the FWC field laboratory in Tequesta, where a biologist examined it and confirmed it belonged to an Atlantic hawksbill sea turtle.This discovery, along with the listing itself, led to a third-degree felony charge against Mullen for offering to sell a portion of a protected sea turtle species. Officers said they found no other turtle shells on the property.Hawksbill sea turtles live in tropical and subtropical waters in all major oceans of the world. They get their name from the unique beak-like mouth, which resembles that of a hawk. This beak-like mouth helps them find food sources in hard-to-reach cracks and crevices in the oceans. These turtles are omnivorous, meaning they feed on plants and other animals. Interestingly, they are the only species of sea turtle that can survive on a diet consisting mainly of sea sponges.
These endangered turtles face many threats. They are often bycatch, meaning they are caught in fishing gear unintentionally. This can lead to drowning or cause fatal or debilitating injuries. Despite various national and international frameworks for their protection, deliberate trade and killing for their eggs, meat and shells still exists. Loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development or rising sea levels due to climate change is a major threat to these turtles.