Iɴ ᴀ ʀᴇᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀʏ, ᴡɪʟᴅʟɪꜰᴇ ᴄᴏɴsᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴɪsᴛs ɪɴ Fʟᴏʀɪ ᴅᴀ sᴛᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴏʀᴍᴏᴜs sᴘᴇᴄɪᴇs ᴏꜰ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴇ sᴇᴛ ᴍs ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ’s sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴠɪᴇ. Tʜᴇ Sᴜᴡᴀɴɴᴇᴇ ᴀʟʟɪɢᴀᴛᴏʀ sɴᴀᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇ, ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀʟʟʏ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴀs Mᴀᴄʀᴏᴄʜᴇʟʏs sᴜᴡᴀɴɴɪᴇɴsɪs, ɪs ɴᴏᴡ ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴀs ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ sᴘᴇᴄᴄ ᴇs. Tʜᴇ Fʟᴏʀɪᴅᴀ Fɪsʜ ᴀɴᴅ Wɪʟᴅʟɪꜰᴇ Cᴏɴsᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ Cᴏᴍᴍɪssɪᴏɴ (FWC) ʙɪᴏʟᴏɢ ɪsᴛs ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ɪᴍᴘʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴘᴛɪʟᴇs, ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴀ 100-ᴘᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴍᴀʟᴇ, ᴀ 46-ᴘᴏᴜɴᴅ ꜰᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ 64-ᴘᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴍᴀʟᴇ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Nᴇᴡ Rɪᴠᴇʀ, ɴᴏʀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ Gᴀɪɴᴇsᴠɪʟʟᴇ.
Tʜᴇ FWC ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅɪʟɪɢᴇɴᴛʟʏ sᴛᴜᴅʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴘʀᴇʜɪsᴛᴏʀɪᴄ-ʟᴏᴏᴋɪ ɴɢ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs sɪɴᴄᴇ 2014, ᴇsᴛɪᴍᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴀɢᴇs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇ ɴ 40 ᴀɴᴅ 80 ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴏʟᴅ. Tʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍɪssɪᴏɴ, ɪɴ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙᴏʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜᴇʀs ꜰʀᴏᴍ Fʟ ᴏʀɪᴅᴀ ᴀɴᴅ Gᴇᴏʀɢɪᴀ, ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜰᴏᴄᴜsɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ sɪᴢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪsᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ Sᴜᴡᴀɴɴᴇᴇ ᴀʟʟɪɢᴀᴛᴏʀ ɴᴀᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇs, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇɢɪᴏɴ.
Pʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜsʟʏ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴇs ᴏꜰ ᴀʟʟɪ ɢᴀᴛᴏʀ sɴᴀᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇ ᴇxɪsᴛᴇᴅ. Tʜᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀʏ ᴏꜰ Sᴜᴡᴀɴɴᴇᴇ ᴀʟʟɪɢᴀᴛᴏʀ sɴᴀᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʀ ᴛʟᴇs ᴄʜᴀʟʟᴇɴɢᴇs ᴛʜɪs ɴᴏᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴇsᴇ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇs, ɴᴀᴍᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴅɢᴇs ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ sʜᴇʟʟs ʀᴇsᴇᴍʙʟ ɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟɪɢᴀᴛᴏʀ sᴋɪɴ, ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄʟᴏsᴇʟʏ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍ ᴏɴ sɴᴀᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀʀɢᴇsᴛ ꜰʀᴇsʜᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟ ᴇs ɪɴ Nᴏʀᴛʜ Aᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀ.
Tʜᴇ ᴜɴɪǫᴜᴇ ʜᴀʙɪᴛᴀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ Sᴜᴡᴀɴɴᴇᴇ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇs, ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄᴜʟᴀʀ ʟʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ Nᴇᴡ Rɪᴠᴇʀ, ᴘᴏsᴇs ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴs ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴄᴏɴsᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴇ FWC ᴇᴍᴘʜᴀsɪᴢᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴛ ᴜʀᴛʟᴇs, ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʏ ʀᴇʟʏ sᴏʟᴇʟʏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜɪs ʀɪᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛ ɪᴠᴇ ʜᴀʙɪᴛᴀᴛs. Bᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴅɪsᴛɪɴᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴀɴᴄᴇ, ᴀʟʟɪɢᴀᴛᴏʀ sɴᴀᴘᴘɪ ɴɢ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇs ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏ ᴀ ᴜɴɪǫᴜᴇ ꜰᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴɪǫᴜᴇ, ᴜsɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴘɪɴɢ ᴋ ʟᴜʀᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ ᴘʀᴇʏ.
Dᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ᴅᴇꜰᴇɴsᴇs, ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ sɪᴢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴛᴏᴜ ɢʜ ᴇxᴛᴇʀɪᴏʀ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇs ɪs ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ. Tʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴍᴇᴀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇʟʟs, ᴄᴏɴᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴄʟɪɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀs ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴜɴʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘ ɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʙɪᴛᴀᴛ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇs. Tʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ Sᴜᴡᴀɴɴᴇᴇ ᴀʟʟɪɢᴀᴛᴏʀ sɴᴀᴘᴘɪɴ ɢ ᴛᴜʀᴛʟᴇs ᴇᴍᴘʜᴀsɪᴢᴇs ᴛʜᴇ sɪɢɴɪꜰɪᴄᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏɴsᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴇ ꜰꜰᴏʀᴛs ᴛᴏ sᴀꜰᴇɢᴜᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴀʀᴋᴀʙʟᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜ ᴇɪʀ ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴀʙɪᴛᴀᴛ.