# OMG!! I have seen it all now!!!! Live Turtles to Die in Keyrings??



## Kalina (Mar 30, 2011)

Its hard to look at that small, innocent Brazilian turtle, knowing that soon it will die and they will buy more and this is the new craze in China, so soon thousands will be dying.
http://apps.facebook.com/petitions/3/ban-live-animals-as-key-rings/


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## pdrobber (Mar 30, 2011)

what the heck...how are they even surviving as long as they do? and then what happens after they die? you carry around a dead turtle? I don't get it at ALL.


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## dmmj (Mar 30, 2011)

While I find this disgusting, who are we to tell the chinese people what to do?


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## Skyler Nell (Mar 30, 2011)

my heart just broke


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## Angi (Mar 30, 2011)

Awful!


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## Torty Mom (Mar 30, 2011)

Ugh, I'm not looking. How could anyone think that something like that is ok.


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## Angi (Mar 30, 2011)

Racheal,
How do you know it is fake? I so hope you are right!



Racheal,
How do you know it is fake? I so hope you are right!


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## Kalina (Mar 30, 2011)

Is it fake?


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## CtTortoiseMom (Mar 30, 2011)

Ugh, I am scared to look but it sounds awful. The pic of the tortoise in the market has given me nightmares so I can't risk it. Please tell me this is fake!


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## Kalina (Mar 30, 2011)

Found this, it's a message board discussing them http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=203171

Here's something else about them http://deep717.blogspot.com/2011/03/live-fish-turtle-key-rings.html

I think it may be true :-(


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## ChiKat (Mar 30, 2011)

Unlike the Bonsai kitten, I've actually heard that this is real, unfortunately.
Has anyone read anything about it being fake? I can't find anything on Google, and I checked out Snopes but didn't see anything there either. I've read comments on websites where people say it has to be fake, but no one seems to know for sure.


> On street corners and near subway entrances in China, you can pay a few yuan to pick up a keychain souvenir filled with dyed water and a live animal like a fish or tiny turtle.
> 
> Keychains claim to be filled with dyed â€œnutrient richâ€ water to help extend the life of the tiny creature inside. The pouch that the animals live in is totally sealed so eventually the animal will die from a lack of oxygen of food but reportedly, the animal can live for several months.



In China they also sell live crabs in vending machines, so I guess it's possible 

eta: Is it a RES? I know those are popular in Chinatown


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## CtTortoiseMom (Mar 30, 2011)

When I googled it I could only find blogs discussing it and not a single company selling them. In addition to that there is not a sinle new's story about it. So I think and I hope it is fake.

I checked snopes and I googled it and could not find a single reputable news story on it. In addition to that I could not find any for sale. So I think (mainly hope) that this is fake!


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## Laura (Mar 30, 2011)

there were petitions for Bonzai kittens too.. but this actaully appears like it cold be real... like Gold fish in the heels of shoes... 
hmmm...


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## Kalina (Mar 30, 2011)

That's crazy!!! I want to buy them all and free them.... I was hoping it was fake, but i can't find anything to clarify... I signed the petition anyway.


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## ChiKat (Mar 30, 2011)

CtTortoiseMom said:


> I checked snopes and I googled it and could not find a single reputable news story on it. In addition to that I could not find any for sale. So I think (mainly hope) that this is fake!



I hope so too!


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## Terry Allan Hall (Mar 30, 2011)

Consider this...it takes how long before the manufacterer gets the keyrings to the salesmen at the various salespots (at least a few days), yet the turtle is still alive at that point?

How long can a turtle live w/ no fresh air? I'm guessing a couple of hours...

Hoax, folks.


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## albert (Mar 30, 2011)

They wouldn't make things like this if sickening people didn't buy them. Some people have no soul.


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## Angi (Mar 30, 2011)

If it is fake.
What kind of sick person makes this stuff up?


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## Angi (Mar 30, 2011)

If it is fake.
What kind of sick person makes this stuff up?


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## Madkins007 (Mar 31, 2011)

There does not seem to be a lot of hard facts on this. 

Evidence for a fake would be that there seem to be only a few photos of it, that the animals would probably not survive the process and shipping to even get sold, that the wastes they produce would make the water they are in very cloudy very quickly, and how do you ship turtles like this without drowning them? Plus the comment about calling what look to be Red-ear Sliders 'Brazilian turtles'.

However, people have done stupider, more foolish things. If it IS real, I bet it is a real short-lived fad. Most of us here are too young to remember the Red-ear pet turtle flurry of the 60's in the US- but talk about systematic cruelty! It looked all cute and pretty to pet buyers, but underneath the surface it was pretty gruesome. You can try to argue that we did not know any better, but that is not true either.

At one point in the mid-60's, when the risks of Salmonellosis were already well-known, some marketers came up with semi-sealed habitats- a shoebox-sized cage with a slow-release block of food and a sealed lid. It would let the animal live happily for its entire life- which most dealers told you was only about 9 months for a species that SHOULD live 20+ years with decent cares.

Now- my 2 cents worth...

1. Internet petitions- go ahead if it makes you feel good, but there is not a lot of evidence they accomplish anything useful, especially in this sort of situation.

2. Getting upset at something happening on a fairly small scale fairly far away bothers me. For most of us, there is suffering and need on our own block or just down the street. If the issue REALLY bothers you, do something about it that is meaningful, helpful, and ideally, local (or, start locally, then help globally). 

That is- there is not a ton you can do that is helpful for some poor turtles in China, but there is probably something you can do to help turtles in your town. Same for homelessness, hunger, or almost any other issue.

Such is MY take, but differences in opinion are what add spice to the world.


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## terryo (Mar 31, 2011)

Other than go to China Town into the residential streets, where you will find many people selling turtles for food, or going to each end of the ferry, where you can find people selling little plastic bins with RES, and buying anything you can find and releasing them in your local pond, there's not much you can do Mark. It's been going on for years. Just like you can get any size turtle even though it's against the law, or any animal you want, if you have the money....nothing changes. Saying "it's against the law", means nothing, as I have found many times in the past.


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## african cake queen (Mar 31, 2011)

people with no feeling towards life , will do any thing to make a buck. these aren't kids doing this! maybe someone could seal them in an air tight bag,so we can see just what happens. lindy


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## Laura (Mar 31, 2011)

dont we have a few members here from China? 
Have you seen this on the streets? Subways?


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## Kalina (Mar 31, 2011)

Nothing surprises me anymore... People do some crazy stuff... I would hope there would be some law (even in China) about this kind of cruelty? But this is the same country that skins dogs alive for fur, so anything is possible.


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## Candy (Mar 31, 2011)

This is the same country that was asked to not sell dogs (as dinner) on the streets during the Olympic Games. Nothing surprises me after seeing that.


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## ChiKat (Mar 31, 2011)

From a discussion on another forum.


> The life of an animal has no value in China. There are no laws to protect them, their lives are worth nothing. Subjecting them to unspeakable acts of cruelty is commonplace and it would seem deeply ingrained in the culture. Dogs and cats are skinned alive for the fur trade. To meet the demand for shark's fin soup thousands of sharks are caught, their fins cut off, and they're thrown back into the ocean to die an agonising death. Beautiful and intelligent moon bears are farmed for their bile, living a life of torture often in tiny cages with rusty metal catheters stuck into their abdomens. And that's just for starters. I haven't even mentioned the zoos or animal circuses.



Not that our country is as enlightened with its treatment of animals as one would hope...i.e. puppy mills, veal, slaughterhouses, etc.


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## Edna (Mar 31, 2011)

Madkins007 said:


> 2. Getting upset at something happening on a fairly small scale fairly far away bothers me. For most of us, there is suffering and need on our own block or just down the street. If the issue REALLY bothers you, do something about it that is meaningful, helpful, and ideally, local (or, start locally, then help globally).
> 
> That is- there is not a ton you can do that is helpful for some poor turtles in China, but there is probably something you can do to help turtles in your town. Same for homelessness, hunger, or almost any other issue.
> 
> Such is MY take, but differences in opinion are what add spice to the world.



Yay Mark, the voice of reason! It's OK to be aware of things that are in your circle of concern, but save your energy for things are are in your circle of influence.


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## jaredpotts (Apr 1, 2011)

*This is terrible! hope it's not for real*

http://helablog.com/2011/03/cruel-and-bizarre-live-fish-turtle-key-chains/

How terrible. what is wrong with people?


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## ALDABRAMAN (Apr 1, 2011)

*RE: This is terrible! hope it's not for real*

Sad if it is real!


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## Kalina (Apr 2, 2011)

OMG!! What kinda tort is that in the pic above ^


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## Candy (Apr 2, 2011)

It's an Aldabra Kalina. He breeds them in Florida.


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