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ATLANTA (AP) - Close to 10 million turtles are traded each year in Asian food markets despite global efforts to stem the practice that many experts say is causing the rapid extinction of some species of the shelled reptiles.
The centuries-old practice of using turtles for food and medicinal purposes — particularly in China — is a $700 million industry, Chinese conservationist Shi Haitao said during an international turtle expert meeting Thursday.
The number of conservationists working in China pales in comparison to the scope of the problem, he said.
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