Petition: Turtles Are Getting Mysteriously Sick in Central Florida, and Scientists Need Help

Wildlife officials in Florida are extremely concerned about a virus that is threatening turtles across the state. There are reports of turtles with swollen or sunken eyes, red, irritated skin, and lethargy so intense that they don’t even flee from predators or humans. The disease, known as turtle fraservirus 1, or TFV1, or turtle bunyavirus, has been brought to the state’s attention since early 2018, and. has been detected in Putnam, Lake, Seminole, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Brevard, Indian River, and Collier counties, said Orlando Weekly.

Source: Vladimir Wrangel/Shutterstock

Other reports have described the infected turtles as appearing sluggish, unresponsive to flee, staying in shallow water for prolonged periods, having eyes that appear sunken, swollen, crusty, cloudy, have reddened skin on their heads, necks, limbs, or shell bottoms, or are irregularly swimming, said Orlando Weekly. The state must fund immediate programs to protect the turtles, including research on the virus and better public awareness! Sign this petition to push Florida to invest more money into researching this virus and creating a public awareness campaign to protect our beloved turtles!

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

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• Tell Congress to Implement a National Red Flag Law

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