Seven Charged in Flying Squirrel Trafficking Ring, Florida Officials Say - The New York Times
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The scheme involved thousands of flying squirrels that were captured in less than three years and were exported to Asia, the officials said.
Flying squirrels, a protected species, are one of three tree squirrel species native to Florida.Credit...Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
By Bryan Pietsch
Seven people have been charged in a Florida-based international flying squirrel trafficking scheme in which thousands of the creatures were exported to Asia, state conservation officials said on Monday.
As many as 3,600 flying squirrels, a protected species in the state, were trapped in less than three years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement. Poachers deployed 10,000 squirrel traps throughout the area around Marion County, Fla., about 80 miles north of Orlando, it said.
Poachers sold the animals to a wildlife dealer, Rodney Knox, in nearby Bushnell, Fla., who then "laundered" them through his licensed business, claiming that they were bred in captivity, the commission said.
Buyers from South Korea traveled to Florida, purchased the squirrels and drove them in rental cars to Chicago, the commission said. An "unwitting wildlife exporter" then sent them to Asia, it said, and as the scheme grew, couriers from Georgia used Atlanta as a pit stop for the exporting.
ImageTraps for flying squirrels.Credit...Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionImageThese flying squirrels were taken from Florida's woods by two trappers in January 2019.Credit...Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The squirrels were estimated to be worth more than $1 million, and Mr. Knox received $213,800 from the trafficking, the commission said. Six of the seven people have been arrested, while one is a fugitive, it said, adding that four of those arrested were from Florida and two from Georgia.
Mr. Knox was charged with money laundering, grand theft and dealing in stolen property, among other charges. The others face similar charges.
Lawyers for Mr. Knox and the others charged were not immediately able to be reached on Monday.
The commission was tipped off by a concerned citizen in January 2019 about the trapping. During a 19-month inquiry, the commission said, investigators found that the suspects from Florida had also been trapping and trafficking protected freshwater turtles and alligators through similar means.
The investigation included conservation officials from Illinois, California and Georgia, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Flying squirrels are the smallest of the three tree squirrel species native to Florida, said Steve Johnson, an associate professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
They feed on normal squirrel snacks like acorns, he said, and roost in hijacked bird nests.
The removal of the trafficked squirrels from their ecosystems could have an impact on their predators, like owls and "rat snakes that are really good climbers," Dr. Johnson said, though because the squirrels have a high reproductive rate, the population will most likely be able to bounce back fairly quickly from the poaching.
Buyers on the receiving end of the trafficking ring probably purchased the flying squirrels as pets. In South Korea and other parts of East Asia, cute, exotic animals like flying squirrels are popular and are featured in cafes where patrons can sip coffee and play with the creatures.
Dr. Johnson, however, said that the buyers might have gotten more than they bargained for. The flying squirrels are nocturnal and are probably a nuisance to have around at night.
"I don't see the point at having a gnawing, nocturnal rodent as a pet," he said.
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It's also possible that they make a tasty snack.
They got a million for 3600 so $277.77 a piece is an expensive snack but maybe someone believes it gives them an erection.
The article said they were "worth" a million, but the trafficer got $213,800, which works out to be about $56 each. How much does a lobster cost these days, or not looking at it as a meal, a lot of ordinary pets can cost a fair buck as well.
Yeah but if you dry them out and grind them into a powder and convince some morons it either makes their dick hard or their girlfriend horny you can charge a lot more.
This is big news in Ocala FL. which is the seat for Marion county. I live here and we see the flyers from time to time.
Put these asswipes in jail for a couple of years and some massive fines. The resident wildlife in Florida is being destroyed by these poachers and the import of exotic species that overrun the native species. The Burmese python is having a devastating effect on the wildlife in the Everglades.
Absolutely!
Mr Giggles saw a flying squirrel once in our front yard. It was an unusual sighting because they are nocturnal here and tend to be further south in the state.
I think they're cute, but don't really want one as a pet
My sister had a flying squirrel about 35 years ago that was given to her by a boyfriend. I don't know if it was this exact sub species but it was a terrible pet. Like the story says it slept all day and was up all night, it was shy it hid anytime you tried to look at it and you couldn't hold it. It finally escaped and we never saw it again but we had a cat so we had a pretty good idea what happened to it. Nobody should ever get one of these, it will hide as soon as you turn the light on and you will never see it fly so just get a hamster.
What the ..... ?
Now i've heard everything
Why? Why is it necessary for people to screw up everything?
I suspect my cats were involved.