Usda affirms prohibition of some tortoise imports
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USDA AFFIRMS PROHIBITION OF SOME TORTOISE IMPORTS The U.S. Department of Agriculture will prohibit the importation of certain types of land tortoises to prevent the spread of heartwater
disease. The tortoises affected by Tuesday’s ruling are the leopard tortoise, African spurred tortoise, and Bell’s hingeback tortoise. Heartwater disease is an acute, infectious
disease affecting cattle, sheep, goats, white-tailed deer and antelope. The tortoises contribute to the spread of the disease as carriers of exotic ticks. This disease has a 60 percent
mortality rate in livestock and a 90 percent or greater mortality rate in white-tailed deer, the USDA said.