Publisher/Editor
HerpDigest: www.herpdigest.org
I would like to nominate red-eared sliders, Trachemys scripta elegans, for Eat the Invaders. Found all over the globe, they are the Norway rat of the turtle world. Originally this harmless little green turtle was sold everywhere, supposedly doomed to die. But they didn’t, some grew and people released them. The IUCN now considers that to be among the 100 worst invasive species. I am working on a film about them in Central Park, and I’ve even seen pictures of them basking in the holy turtle temples in Bangladesh.
They are edible as adults. Turtle soup? Here’s a Creole turtle soup recipe, from New Orleans. Be sure to only use red-eared sliders, not native turtles. Sliders are native to the Mississippi River basin, but invasive in Europe, Asia, Africa, and much of the US, including New Mexico, the Northeast, and Florida. (See the USGS map here.)
I just love your basic idea. It’s shock value to make people think. And who knows may trigger and industry or two.
