CHANGE MY LOCATION
Local
California News
Multimedia News
Zoo benefits from 47,000 seized crabs
SEE HOW THIS STORY DEVELOPED
Related Topics: BALTIMORE
)
Elvis, a North American river otter living at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, enjoys a soft-shell crab Wednesday, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Natural Resources Police.
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - An undercover investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Natural Resources Police revealed three seafood wholesalers’ involvement in the sales of undersized crabs. The investigation, which led to the seizure of 47,000 crabs, started in 2003, and warrants were issued in September 2006.
“This has been an ongoing problem and we had to find out all the players involved,” said Lt. Scott Richardson of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. “This is kind of the end.”
MeTompkin Bay Oyster Co. pleaded guilty to the purchasing and selling of undersized crabs. The other two seafood wholesalers involved were N.R. Dryden and Co. and Handy’s International Inc.
The owner of N.R. Dryden, Isabel Dryden of Crisfield, was convicted Tuesday of selling the illegal crabs and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod Rosenstein announced Tuesday.
Agents posing as potential buyers approached the wholesalers and displayed interest in purchasing soft-shell crabs.
“Money talks,” said Special Agent Al Hundly, of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We teamed up with the Maryland Natural Resources Police, and our investigation revealed the sale of undersized crabs.”
The soft-shell crabs were donated to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Because the seized crabs were kept in a freezer for evidence, they were unfit for human consumption, said Lainie Contreras, public relations manager at the Maryland Zoo. “These crabs will be fed to our otters, birds and polar bears.”
Two North American river otters named Elvis and Mary awaited their crab feast at one of the zoo’s favorite natural exhibits. The otter habitat was developed to resemble an abandoned beaver lodge.
“This exhibit is meant to incorporate all types of animals, and it features an underwater viewing tunnel,” said Rebecca Gullot, the zoo’s mammal collector conservation manager. “The exhibit is nearly 20 years old.”
Both otters bounced up to the glass to receive their portion of the soft-shell crabs, standing on their hind legs to reach the food from zoo animal staff.
“We’re trying to turn a bad thing into a good thing,” Hundly said.
HOw TO HELP
Interested in sponsoring a wild animal? Information about the Maryland Zoo of Baltimore’s adoption program is available at the zoo or at www.marylandzoo.org.
lduffy@baltimoreexaminer.com
