Turtles Used in Religious Ceremony Die in Salty Lake

Two freshwater turtles were fighting for their lives after being rescued from salty Lake Merritt, officials said.

The two were the only survivors of about 20 shelled creatures that officials believed were set free into the lake after being used in a religious ceremony.

“This is salt water and those are freshwater turtles. The longer they’re in the water, the less their chances of survival,” said Donna Kamai, a staff member at the Lake Merritt Boathouse.

Most turtles were found dead or have died since being rescued a week earlier, Kamai said.

The turtles were likely used by a Thai Buddhist sect which purchases the live turtles in Chinatown.

Parishioners think they’re setting them free, but are sending them to their death, she said.

An Oakland Police Department Asian community liaison person was speaking to residents about their practice, Kamai said.

The turtles, believed to have been purchased from Chinatown fish markets, are sold for food, not pets.

In the past, Kamai said she has taken the creatures home but they lived for only about a month.

“They continually kind of regurgitated and foamed at the mouth,” she said. “And then I’d come home and they’d be dead.”

She said there is no safe place to release the turtles because they would upset the ecosystem even if they were placed in a local freshwater lake.

The surviving turtles were being showered with fresh water and being fed low-salt foods.