Five Reasons to Not Buy a Turtle or Tortoise for Christmas/Holiday Gifts

American Tortoise Rescue Suggests Fun Toys or Donations InsteadAmerican Tortoise Rescue , the international nonprofit for turtle and tortoise protection, is asking consumers to not buy live animals, especially turtles and tortoises, as holiday gifts.  According to Susan Tellem, co-founder of American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), while these wonderful reptiles have outlived the dinosaurs, wide spread illegal smuggling and the commercial pet trade in turtles and tortoises has devastated wild populations worldwide.  Many once thriving species are now threatened or