Cowabunga: Turtle Power Returning

Just like the return of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles after a 14-year absence from the silver screen, real live pet turtles might soon be making a comeback after an even longer 32-year wait. What, you didn't know that those small turtles you kept in a plastic aquarium as a kid are banned by the Food and Drug Administration? The threat of salmonella did it in 1975. What threat? It's hard to keep little tykes from kissing or licking the adorable turtles. But salmonella is easier to eradicate now, and Sen. Mary Landrieu, whose Louisiana turtle farmers make $9 million in overseas sales, says it's time to unleash turtle power. A Senate vote to allow the sales should come this week.

With Thomas K. Grose, Silla Brush, Anna Mulrine, and Suzi Parker