Conservation officers charge man after protected turtles removed from Kelowna pond

Photo: BC Conservation Service

A Kelowna man has been charged with unlawful possession of a painted turtle.

Okanagan Forest Task Force founder Kane Blake says one of the group's members spotted a person capturing several protected live western painted turtles on May 28 at a local fishing pond.

The BC Conservation Officer Service was called, which acted right away.

"During the investigation, conservation officers located and seized two protected live western painted turtles from the possession of a Kelowna resident who had placed the turtles in his private pond on his property," said David Karn with the provincial Ministry of Environment.

"The Kelowna resident was subsequently charged with two counts of unlawful possession of live wildlife."

The western painted turtles were successfully returned back to the pond. The case follows a recent court conviction where a Kelowna woman was found to be in possession of a live western painted turtle.

"The Conservation Officer Service is again reminding the public that like most native wildlife species in British Columbia, the western painted turtle is protected against harassment, killing or possession under the provincial Wildlife Act," Karn said.

"They are a blue listed species, meaning that they are vulnerable to further declines in abundance. Their removal from the wild can have a devastating impact on the population."

The BCCOS says western painted turtles found in unlawful possession of the public are often malnourished and starved. Also, turtles of any size can carry salmonella which is easily transmittable to humans.

"We can't stress enough that if you see something that doesn't look or feel right in situations like this to please report it. I would like to thank our local conservation officers for their fast actions and work," said Blake.