A Florida man was arrested after law enforcement discovered he was keeping a threatened tortoise in a bucket, according to a Tuesday report from Fox 35 Orlando citing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Edrick Acres, 53, of Eustis, Florida was charged with possession of a gopher tortoise, which the report notes he had been keeping in a five-gallon bucket.
According to the FWC, the gopher tortoise is among the five species of North American tortoise, and the only one that is found natively east of the Mississippi River.
The FWC adds that the tortoise is listed as “threatened” on both the Federal and state level.
What is a threatened species?
According to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, section 3, term 20, a "threatened species" refers to “any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.”
Permits are required prior to capturing or relocating such species.
What is the difference between a threatened species and an endangered species?
A threatened species differentiates itself from an endangered species which, according to section 3, term 6 of the Endangered Species Act, refers to “any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.”
The act is available for review on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website.
The Fox report states that, after receiving a tip that a gopher tortoise was being kept by an individual, the FWC sent an officer to Acres’ home.
Acres told the officer about the tortoise before proceeding to show him the reptile, which was being kept in the five-gallon bucket.
The FWC subsequently confiscated the gopher tortoise in order to release it into the wild.
The FWC officer instructed Acres to remain seated in a chair while he did his paperwork. However, upon completing the paperwork, Acres had disappeared from the spot.
Acres’ mother said that he had gone down the street to a corner store where, indeed, he was located and then arrested.
In addition to being charged with possession of a gopher tortoise, the Florida man was additionally charged with resisting arrest without violence and for possession of marijuana.
After being held on a $2,500 bond, Acres has since been released.