Fauna, Scuba News, Underwater Environment

Man buys turtles from market and releases into ocean

Although it may come as a surprise to many, in some parts of the world you can buy live sea turtles, which find their way onto tables and plates as a regional delicacy through the kitchen. This was something that Arron Culling and his colleague Mark could not come to terms with when they visited

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: October 15, 2019 - 20:30

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 18:41

Man buys turtles from market and releases into ocean

Although it may come as a surprise to many, in some parts of the world you can buy live sea turtles, which find their way onto tables and plates as a regional delicacy through the kitchen. This was something that Arron Culling and his colleague Mark could not come to terms with when they visited a local market in Papua New Guinea, where they saw two sea turtles.

Most sea turtles are classified as endangered or vulnerable to extinction. Unfortunately, sea turtles can still be caught in countries such as Mexico, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Turtles are caught there for their meat and shells.

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When Aaron and Mark realised what fate awaited the animals, they paid $50 to buy them and set them free. They then drove the turtles to a safe place and released them into the ocean. Then they did it again and again. So far they have managed to buy back and release 10 turtles.

Unfortunately two people can’t be everywhere and not every turtle can get a second chance. If you were interested in this story, you can find more information about sea turtle conservation at Sea Turtle Conservancy.

Source: familypet.com

About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.