191 Turtles Seized From FedEx Shipment Bound for China

A FedEx store in Denton, Texas flagged a strange package on September 1, 2026, leading to one of the more unusual calls local animal control has handled all year: 191 turtles seized from a single shipment bound for China.

The Discovery

Store staff noticed something wasn't right and called the City of Denton Animal Shelter instead of letting the box go out. Shelter workers picked up the animals and set them up temporarily in one of their own offices while they worked out what to do next. The shelter said the person who packed the box was trying to send the turtles overseas. No name has been released.

Federal Investigation Opens

Once the shelter got involved, it brought in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has opened a federal investigation. Shipping live turtles overseas without the right paperwork can break both U.S. wildlife law and international rules, depending on the species involved. Officials haven't said yet exactly what kinds of turtles and tortoises were packed into the box.

"This was business not as usual," the shelter wrote in a Facebook post announcing the rescue.

Now at the Zoo

The 191 turtles seized from that shipment are now living at the Dallas Zoo while the investigation continues. This isn't new territory for the zoo. It has partnered with the Turtle Survival Alliance before and has helped care for animals pulled from large international tortoise seizures in the past.

No suspect has been named, and it's still unclear how the shipment was supposed to leave the country or what the turtles were worth. This kind of case isn't as rare as it sounds. A Louisiana man was indicted earlier this year for allegedly selling more than 1,800 turtles worth about $55,000 into the same overseas pet market.

For now, the turtles get to sit this one out at the zoo while federal agents try to answer the bigger question.