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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Total Turtle Experience

Aired July 15, 2003 - 05:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: For the past few weeks, we brought you the story of the two-headed turtle twice and the 200-year-old turtle. But now, Jeanne Moos has found the total turtle experiences in, of all places, a New York City apartment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever yearn for a turtle when you were a kid? How about 1,200 turtles, an entire Manhattan loft crammed with tanks full of them?

Richard Ogust calls himself a turtle conservationist.

RICHARD OGUST, TURTLE CONSERVATIONIST: But I'm also pretty nuts about turtles.

MOOS: He's nuts about the one that looks like an albino anteater. He's nuts about the snake net.

OGUST: These guys are almost extinct.

MOOS: And he's really nuts about his favorite, Oscar, as in Oscar Meyer wieners.

OGUST: She was brought to us as a blind turtle that someone had raised on frankfurters.

MOOS: Malnutrition by hot dog left Oscar blind, though her vision is improving with proper diet. The turtles here do seem to eat well -- from fish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, here he goes. There we go.

MOOS: ... to cantaloupe worth fighting over to lots and lots of lettuce.

(on camera): Did you hear what the one turtle said to the other turtle?

OGUST: I did.

MOOS: I'll have a BLT but hold the B and the T.

(voice-over): Their names are unpronounceable.

OGUST: He's a uwanawa (ph). This is called a quaramacordi (ph). She's Kund (ph) and she's Ong (ph). MOOS: Richard bought some of the turtles. Some he rescued. Some are endangered species confiscated by authorities. He still has his very first turtle. She was about to become part of the seafood buffet at this Chinatown restaurant. Richard spotted her in the tank and was fixated.

OGUST: I got her for 20 bucks. They started to take her back to the kitchen to chop her up and put her in a bag for me. I said, "No, no, no, no."

MOOS: He took her home and a friend named her Empress. That was nine years ago, 1,200 turtles ago, and the turtles Richard collects keep reproducing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have turtle love happening here.

MOOS: The male bites the female's neck to keep her in position. Speaking of lovers, turtle lovers help fund this operation. There are plans to move it to a 50 acre site in New Jersey. The highlight of our tour was hand feeding figures to Burmese turtles.

(on camera): Is there a technique so that I can keep my fingers?

OGUST: That's the technique.

MOOS (voice-over): Now if only he'd practiced it.

OGUST: Ow! That hurt.

MOOS (on camera): I mean does it cut?

OGUST: I was really lucky.

MOOS (voice-over): Richard would never dream of eating turtle soup. The turtles apparently can't resist finger food.

OGUST: Ow!

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Oh, why did she have to show that again?

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com



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Aired July 15, 2003 - 05:50   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: For the past few weeks, we brought you the story of the two-headed turtle twice and the 200-year-old turtle. But now, Jeanne Moos has found the total turtle experiences in, of all places, a New York City apartment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever yearn for a turtle when you were a kid? How about 1,200 turtles, an entire Manhattan loft crammed with tanks full of them?

Richard Ogust calls himself a turtle conservationist.

RICHARD OGUST, TURTLE CONSERVATIONIST: But I'm also pretty nuts about turtles.

MOOS: He's nuts about the one that looks like an albino anteater. He's nuts about the snake net.

OGUST: These guys are almost extinct.

MOOS: And he's really nuts about his favorite, Oscar, as in Oscar Meyer wieners.

OGUST: She was brought to us as a blind turtle that someone had raised on frankfurters.

MOOS: Malnutrition by hot dog left Oscar blind, though her vision is improving with proper diet. The turtles here do seem to eat well -- from fish.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, here he goes. There we go.

MOOS: ... to cantaloupe worth fighting over to lots and lots of lettuce.

(on camera): Did you hear what the one turtle said to the other turtle?

OGUST: I did.

MOOS: I'll have a BLT but hold the B and the T.

(voice-over): Their names are unpronounceable.

OGUST: He's a uwanawa (ph). This is called a quaramacordi (ph). She's Kund (ph) and she's Ong (ph). MOOS: Richard bought some of the turtles. Some he rescued. Some are endangered species confiscated by authorities. He still has his very first turtle. She was about to become part of the seafood buffet at this Chinatown restaurant. Richard spotted her in the tank and was fixated.

OGUST: I got her for 20 bucks. They started to take her back to the kitchen to chop her up and put her in a bag for me. I said, "No, no, no, no."

MOOS: He took her home and a friend named her Empress. That was nine years ago, 1,200 turtles ago, and the turtles Richard collects keep reproducing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have turtle love happening here.

MOOS: The male bites the female's neck to keep her in position. Speaking of lovers, turtle lovers help fund this operation. There are plans to move it to a 50 acre site in New Jersey. The highlight of our tour was hand feeding figures to Burmese turtles.

(on camera): Is there a technique so that I can keep my fingers?

OGUST: That's the technique.

MOOS (voice-over): Now if only he'd practiced it.

OGUST: Ow! That hurt.

MOOS (on camera): I mean does it cut?

OGUST: I was really lucky.

MOOS (voice-over): Richard would never dream of eating turtle soup. The turtles apparently can't resist finger food.

OGUST: Ow!

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Oh, why did she have to show that again?

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com



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