Be on the lookout.
The 3-by-4-foot loggerhead turtle carapace used by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring in its educational programs had become an island icon, and now it is gone.
In a report filed with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office the morning of Oct. 8, AMITW executive director Suzi Fox said she discovered the shell missing from a storage unit in Cortez.
In addition to the shell, two kayaks, other AMITW gear and some personal items were stolen from the storage unit. The approximate value of the stolen items, not including the shell, is $2,100.
The shell cannot be legally owned by the general public, and is on loan to AMITW from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Subsequently, no monetary value can be placed on the shell.
If found, the perpetrator would be prosecuted under state law for the burglary — a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines. Federal involvement would be determined at the discretion of the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer James Boogaerts.
Under federal law, fines up to $100,000 and prison terms of up to one year may be imposed.
“This shell is an invaluable resource for the community and we desperately want it returned,” Fox said. “Anyone who lives here has seen or touched our shell.”
AMITW is offering a $500 reward for the shell’s return. Fox said there would be “no questions asked — we just want our shell back.”
Fox said she suspects the perpetrator is planning a “quick sale” of the shell, and officers with the FWC are casing websites including eBay, to see if it is being offered for sale.
The carapace is reddish-brown with large “scutes” or shell plates. It serves as a shield, completely enclosing all the vital organs of the turtle.
“The really sad thing here is that someone would steal from a local nonprofit,” Fox said. “Whoever did this is not just stealing from AMITW, they are robbing our community.”
To report information regarding the theft, contact Fox at suzilfox@gmail.com or 941-778-5638.
