Thursday, 22 May 2014

World Turtle Day 2014



“Try to be a turtle – at ease in your own shell.” – Bill Copeland
May 23rd is World Turtle Day. I had never heard of World Turtle Day until now but apparently it’s been a celebrated day since 2000; I love turtles so why not celebrate and get informed about them? I've read that some people dress up in green in honour of this day and schools in the U.S. get special turtle/tortoise lesson plans for this day. 

World Turtle Day is a day to raise awareness and respect for turtles and tortoises and to help them strive and thrive in the wild and in your home. The American Tortoise Foundation is the main sponsor of this day and they have a fun and very informative website that lets you know all that you will ever need to know about turtles and tortoises. I have included some ways you can save turtles and tortoises below from that website as well as a link so that you can check it out yourselves. This website has some cute pictures and videos as well as information about so it is worth to take a look at. Last but not least I've included some fun turtle/tortoise pictures, books, movies etc. Hope you enjoy it all!

Samantha

Ways to Save Turtles

Never buy a turtle or tortoise from a pet shop as it increases demand from the wild.


Never remove turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured.  

If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going – if you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again.  

Write letters to legislators asking them to keep sensitive habitat preserved or closed to off road vehicles, and to prevent off shore drilling that can lead to more endangered sea turtle deaths.


 Report cruelty or illegal sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal control shelter. 


Report the sale of any turtle or tortoise of any kind less than four inches.  This is illegal everywhere in the U.S. 

Never release a pet turtle into the wild. Turtles kept in captivity may not have the important nutrients they need to survive through the cold winter. In addition, pet turtles may not be native to your area and should not interbreed with wild turtles.

Help keep beaches and other natural habitats clean. Never leave trash and pick up garbage left by others.


Fun Turtle/Tortoise Things

Famous Turtles/Tortoises:





Turtle/Tortoise Books and Movies:



                               



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