It is illegal to capture or possess one. Therefore, it is illegal to sell them or take them out of the state. Box turtle habitats are not protected however, and intense tree-farming over much of the state has a detrimental effect on all plant and animal communities of upland areas. Atlanta, as well as other urban spots, is growing rapidly, and I'm sure box turtle populations are suffering all the consequences of that growth. I do not know of any illegal trade in box turtles in Georgia, but many people are not familiar with our laws and keep them as pets.
Box turtles are undoubtedly our most common turtle in the state.
Populations tend to be localized down in the Coastal Plain, but from the Piedmont all the way up into the mountains of north Georgia the animals can be very abundant. Finding four or five feeding under a blackberry patch is a frequent occurrence. We are particularly interested in getting involved with projects that examine long-term impacts of our most common land use practices in the state. Box turtles could make a good focal point for a study on our pulp wood industry for instance. Ernst is also directing M.S. research by Shiela Frye on the ecology of C. insculpta .