'Completely bogus': BC man fined $3K for shipping a baby tortoise to Sask.

What started as a hobby for a B.C. man, ended in a Saskatoon courtroom.

Nelson Williamson is facing a $3,000 fine for illegally transporting a Greek tortoise to Saskatchewan.

Williamson bred and sold tortoises from his home in Cranbrook, B.C. for about five years.

“It was just kind of fun for me and my kids to incubate some eggs and see if something hatches. It wasn’t a job by any means, just a hobby,” Williamson told CTV News.

In July 2021, Williamson shipped a Greek tortoise to a Saskatoon buyer he found on Kijiji. The man purchased the animal for $400 as a birthday gift for his eight-year-old son, according to Williamson.

Williamson mailed the animal through Reptile Express Canada — a company that organizes shipments of live reptiles.

Months after the baby tortoise arrived, federal officers seized the animal from the Saskatoon home. Williamson's bank accounts were frozen and he was eventually charged.

Nelson Williamson shipped this tortoise to Saskatchewan weeks after it was added to a restricted species list. (Courtesy: Nelson Williamson)

“I was detained. I was fingerprinted, photographed … To be honest, I thought it was a complete joke. I wasn't sure what the hell was going on,” Williamson said.

A month before the transaction, in June 2021, the Greek tortoise (known as the spur-thighed tortoise) was added to Saskatchewan’s restricted species list.

Williamson said he wasn’t aware of the rule change.

“I had no idea,” Williamson said.

Williamson pleaded guilty to transporting the restricted animal under the federal Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act.

On Monday, Judge James Plemel reduced Williamson’s fine from $5,000 to $3,000.

The judge also ordered Williamson to pay $906.25 to cover the cost incurred to seize the tortoise.

Williamson said the situation has been blown out of proportion.

“It’s completely bogus. It doesn't make any sense to me. You know, there's drug dealers and rapists and all that, but they're caring about a $400 tortoise,” Williamson said.

“I’m very disappointed in our government that they would waste their time and efforts with this.”

Regulations to restrict certain species help protect Saskatchewan’s native wildlife species by preventing potential introduction of invasive species, according to Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment.

The ministry told CTV News Williamson’s case was handled by Environment and Climate Change Canada, a federal agency.

Williamson wants to know what happened to the tortoise that was taken by officers.

CTV News has contacted Environment and Climate Change Canada and is awaiting a response.