Thieves Take $40K in Cold-Blooded Animals

LADSON, S.C. – Thieves broke into the Lowcountry Reptile and Amphibian Expo in Ladson over the weekend and got away with loads of slithering and shelled creatures.

They made off with up to $40,000 in cold-blooded animals, including a couple of tri-colored hognose snakes, two albino Burmese pythons and four baby western pond tortoises worth $300 each.

“I’m thinking these people knew something about turtles,” said George Ullman, owner of Turtle World in Arcadia, Fla.. He said thieves robbed him and his wife of as many as 60 turtles, including four hatchling pancake turtles that sell for $450 each. Ullman estimated his stolen turtles were worth at least $11,000.

“They only picked the most pretty and expensive ones,” Ullman said.

The thieves “were very selective and knew what they were doing,” Alan Bosch, a reptile expert from Moncks Corner and owner of Alan Bosch Reptiles, said. “They took animals which would sell quickly, and they took high-end animals, which could potentially bring in big money.”

“It’s just not your normal theft,” said Capt. Dana Valentine of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. “The fact that it is so unusual might work in our favor. If someone turns up with all these animals, it should attract some attention.”

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.charleston.net