Farm breeds Sea Turtles for food & conservation; accident kills 299; Your thoughts appreciated.

[findi]

Hi All,

An accident that caused the deaths of 299 endangered Green Turtles at the Cayman Turtle Farm has raised concerns about the facility’s operation. The incident brought other issues to my mind as well. I was first inspired by the legendary herpetologist Archie Carr, and have since been involved in several field studies of Green, Leatherback and other marine turtles (please see article below). I see the value in organizations such as Cayman Turtle Farm, which raises turtles for the food market while also racking up important “firsts” in breeding and research. However, many disagree with me. Can conservation and the meat trade co-exist? What’s your opinion? Any comments you may wish to post below would be much appreciated. Read article here: Green Sea Turtles Die on Farm - Do Meat-Trade Turtles Aid Conservation? | That Reptile Blog

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Thanks, Frank
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[jasper408]

This article reminds me of a documentary I watched on TV, which detailed the commercial captivation of exotic African animals on U.S soil, solely for the purpose of trophy hunting. Endangered species may number more in the U.S than in their homeland, and it was argued by the landowners that by commercialization came conservation.

Although I condemn the principle behind this rationalization, I have to agree that commercialized breeding is one of the most effective ways of conservation. People are motivated by money, and ethics aside, an otherwise endangered or near-extinct animal gets a chance.

 

[findi]

This article reminds me of a documentary I watched on TV, which detailed the commercial captivation of exotic African animals on U.S soil, solely for the purpose of trophy hunting. Endangered species may number more in the U.S than in their homeland, and it was argued by the landowners that by commercialization came conservation.

Although I condemn the principle behind this rationalization, I have to agree that commercialized breeding is one of the most effective ways of conservation. People are motivated by money, and ethics aside, an otherwise endangered or near-extinct animal gets a chance.

Thank you, Jasper, well-put and I agree. It's important that people differentiate between ethics/saving an individual and what is best for a species as a whole. Same re vegetarianism, etc...fine if it is a personal belief, but there are no endangered species on soybean farms, etc (although the bumblebee-sized Kittie's Hog-nosed Bat seems only to live on teak farms, but I'm guessing that they are elsewhere, but not visible!).

Best, Frank