California Votes to protect Leatherbacks

[MenagerieGrl]

California Department of Fish & Wildlife has chosen to Protect Leatherback Sea Turtles by putting it on the States Endangered species List. ?
Yay!

California adds Pacific leatherback sea turtle to its endangered species list

Scientists say 1,000-pound leatherback sea turtles have declined by about 5.6% in California each year for the last three decades.

www.latimes.com

California Protects Leatherback Sea Turtles as Endangered

Center for Biological Diversity: Decision Comes in Time for Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation Day

biologicaldiversity.org

 

[MEEJogja]

As a boy I dragged my father away from the bar during a trip to Sri Lanka and insisted we go for an evening stroll on the beach on the off chance we would see a turtle. Not 10 meters from where we hit the beach there was an enormous nesting leatherback, illuminated by just the moon.

After admiring her for some time we walked on and came across leatherback after leatherback. We must have seen 50 that evening. One of my fondest memories, especially as we had it all to ourselves. No one ruining it by talking or shining flashlights as there have been every other time I've seen nesting turtles.

To continue my musings about turtles that no one asked for... A couple of years ago I had a girlfriend who worked for a conservation organisation and was stationed in a backwards little town in Papua. I went to visit and on my first night there there was a big event where the whole town turned out to watch dancing, singing and a speech by the mayor.

He advised the town to reduce (not stop) their consumption of turtle meat as runoff from the tin mine down the coast meant that it was contaminated with high levels of mercury. It had never occurred to me that turtle meat was consumed as part of a regular diet by anyone.

Unfortunately I'm on a couple of dodgey WhatsApp based animal auction groups here, and someone will occasionally sell adolescent green or hawksbill turtles, saying 'already used to fresh water, perfect for your pond'. I can't do anything more than despair.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

As a boy I dragged my father away from the bar during a trip to Sri Lanka and insisted we go for an evening stroll on the beach on the off chance we would see a turtle. Not 10 meters from where we hit the beach there was an enormous nesting leatherback, illuminated by just the moon.

After admiring her for some time we walked on and came across leatherback after leatherback. We must have seen 50 that evening. One of my fondest memories, especially as we had it all to ourselves. No one ruining it by talking or shining flashlights as there have been every other time I've seen nesting turtles.

To continue my musings about turtles that no one asked for... A couple of years ago I had a girlfriend who worked for a conservation organisation and was stationed in a backwards little town in Papua. I went to visit and on my first night there there was a big event where the whole town turned out to watch dancing, singing and a speech by the mayor.

He advised the town to reduce (not stop) their consumption of turtle meat as runoff from the tin mine down the coast meant that it was contaminated with high levels of mercury. It had never occurred to me that turtle meat was consumed as part of a regular diet by anyone.

Unfortunately I'm on a couple of dodgey WhatsApp based animal auction groups here, and someone will occasionally sell adolescent green or hawksbill turtles, saying 'already used to fresh water, perfect for your pond'. I can't do anything more than despair.

MEEJogia, loved the first part of your story, the last part, not so much...Thank you for sharing...