Four brightly-painted baby turtles were detained earlier this month at the Washington Dulles International Airport.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials released a statement on Friday saying that officers seized the turtles from a family which was returning from a trip to China on September 5. The travelers did not possess the required permits, but they declared the turtles to a CBP officer.
The family bought the turtles from a Chinese street vendor. After an inspector from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) removed paint from the shells, the turtles were given back to the family with a one-time permit and a warning.
“Turtles pose public health concerns as young turtles are especially susceptible to carrying salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) connected a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Agbeni infections last year to pet turtles,” the CBP press release added.