OCEAN CITY, Md.- A pair of diamond back terrapin turtles were illegally captured and brought to Buffalo, New York earlier this summer. Today, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program sent them back to their natural habitat.
The Department of Natural Resources says removing animals from the wild is illegal and inhumane.
Domesticated wild turtles can only be returned to their original habitat. Otherwise, they may have to be euthanized. Luckily, the visitors who took the turtles admitted they were found in Ocean City.
The visitors have been issued a warning by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Maryland Coastal Bays Program asks that visitors admire wildlife from afar.