Endangered Sea Turtle Artifacts

All sea turtles are endangered and are protected by the Endangered Species Act. A person coming into our country from another country must pass through a U.S. Customs inspection to make sure he or she is not bringing something illegal into the United States.

If the Customs officer finds a sea turtle shell, boots made from sea turtle skin or jewelry made from sea turtle shell, they will be taken. The person may go to court, be fined and might even serve a jail sentence. Objects that are confiscated are kept in storage until after the trial at which time they are destroyed.

The sea turtle shell, skin and boots seen in the photograph are retained for educational purposes and came from the U.S. fish and Wildlife Repository in Denver.