Shellshocked II: Turtle Thieves

Turtles are built like tiny tanks—ancient, armored, and famously tough. But in the modern world, that toughness may be their greatest vulnerability. In part two of our turtle two-parter, we dive into the shadowy world of turtle trafficking, where backyard collectors, international smugglers, and unsuspecting pet owners all play a role. From sting operations to turtle triage, we meet the unlikely defenders working to stop the trade—and care for the reptiles caught in the middle. Because once a turtle is taken from the wild, getting it home again is a lot harder than you’d think. Guests Thomas Akre , head of the Turtle Conservation Ecology Lab at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute John (JD) Kleopfer , State Herpetologist for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources First Sergeant Tim Dooley, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Special Operations for the Virginia Conservation Police, Department of Wildlife Resources Connor Gillespie , Director of Outreach at the Wildlife Center of Virginia Dr. Karra Pierce, Director of Veterinary Services at the Wildlife Center of Virginia

You can listen to Shellshocked II: Turtle Thieves online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Shellshocked II: Turtle Thieves is an episode from Sidedoor by Smithsonian Institution .

This episode is 30:28 long.

This episode was published on Jul 23, 2025.

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