According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the ban has prevented 100,000 children from getting salmonella every year. The consequences of this disease can be tragic: This year, less than three months after a bill that would lift the ban on turtle sales was introduced by U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, a 4-week-old infant in Florida died of salmonella exposure from a pet turtle, a tragedy that prompted the Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning to parents .

According to a May 14 article in The Times Picayune , “Most, if not all, reptiles carry salmonella in their intestinal tracts and pass it through their feces. The bacteria can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea, and fever in healthy people and can be deadly for those with vulnerable immune systems.”

Baby turtles are usually purchased on a whim by uninformed people. Usually, these animals are bought as pets for children who quickly lose interest in caring for them. Turtles can easily live to be 40 years old, and when they become adults—which happens quickly—and their novelty wears off, owners frequently tire of caring for them and, in the best case scenario, abandon them at animal shelters. Often the animals are “turned loose” outdoors, where they are not equipped to fend for themselves and usually perish or become a menace—and a possible disease threat—to local wildlife.

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