An Indiana man has been arrested after dancing along a highway while clutching a rare turtle and carrying methamphetamine, officials said.
The man was arrested by Indiana Conservation Officers in Harrison County. In a statement on Facebook, the Indiana DNR Division of Law Enforcement confirmed that he was holding an eastern box turtle.
Authorities also confirmed that the turtle had been released unharmed near the area from which it had been removed.
The name of the suspect has not been released.
Eastern box populations are declining, according to the DNR’s website. Habitat loss, road mortality and collection by humans are some of the leading causes of population declines. The turtles have been known to live past the age of 60, with some specimens even living past the age of 100.
“Eastern Box (sic) turtles are long-lived, slow to mature and have few offspring per year, and may not be collected from the wild,” the department added.
In Indiana, the turtles are considered to be a species of “special concern.” The DNR says that regulations came into law in 2004 forbidding the collection of box turtles from the wild in Indiana.
“Displaced box turtles, either escaped or released, have a hard time surviving,” the website says. “Those that survive pose a threat to wild populations.
“Diseases occurring in captivity can spread rapidly in wild populations.”
If a turtle is spotted trying to cross a busy road, however, the department says that people can pick them up in order to move them to the other side of the road.
The turtles have a shell around 4.5 to 6 inches in length. Their shells vary in color and pattern but generally are marked by yellow and orange blotches and streaks on a black, brown or grey background.
The Independent has contacted the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Harrison County Indiana Sheriff's Department for comment.
