Of Viagra, Heartbreak And Current Affairs

Out there in the Gulf Of Mexico* there are many turtles- Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles to be precise. These little creatures were first identified by a guy called Richard Kemp in Florida and sent off to Harvard to be properly classified. 
Nobody is sure about the Ridley bit of the name - before that these poor things were known as "the bastard turtles". From 1946-1986 there was a huge decline in their numbers. Then their breeding ground was discovered, a beach along the Mexico Coastline . Sadly the locals were stealing the eggs in vast numbers. People paid well for them - because "A turtle egg with a shot of tequila" was believe to combat impotence in Mexican males. In a brilliant co-operative project, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service got together with local conservationists to collect eggs and set up a new breeding ground along the Padre Island Seashore.

This began in 1986, and when Viagra came along, a social awareness advert was produced in Mexico suggesting that the little blue pill was a better alternative than the eggs. The strapline was "My man does not need turtle eggs" It was surprisingly successful! Numbers of the breed really improved. But it remains a critically endangered species, and TPWS continue their work. The video below lasts 7 minutes but is really informative [and full of cute baby turtles]

But unfortunately, global warming has affected the temperature of the waters, and some turtles are getting a little bit lost, confused by warmer currents. In November 2021, after Storm Arwen, one was washed up on a beach in Flintshire. It was taken to Anglesey Sea Zoo, nicknamed Tally, and after months of intensive care, was nursed back to health, then flown home to the US in September 2023.  A few months later, another turtle was washed up, nicknamed Rhossi. ASZ started working with the Americans in their Turtle Conservation Programme.

All good stuff - for the Kemp's Ridley, Bastard, or 'Heartbreak Turtle' as it has been variously named. Apparently sailors witnessed the creatures having 'turned turtle' [flipped on their backs] and dying. The sailors maintained the turtles' hearts were broken, hence the nickname.

But here's the latest heartbreak - Rhossi was due to be flown home in March, but is stuck in Anglesey. By order of Donald Trump. On his first day in office, that man signed an executive order requiring a freeze on all foreign development assistance. Which meant the US Fish and Wildlife Service stopped funding various projects, including the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. In February, 400 USFWS workers lost their jobs as part of Trump's cutbacks. So there is currently no way of flying Rhossi home to the Gulf of Mexico. Frankie Hobro, director of ASZ continues to look after him.
Martha Williams, former director of USFWS said the impact on conservation projects was "heartbreaking". "I didn't expect this administration to necessarily be friendly towards conservation. I have been surprised at the speed and the degree to which they have undermined decades of goodwill and work in the conservation sphere…International work involved so little money, you know in the big scheme of things, small grants with enormous impact - enormous impact to communities." Williams described the cuts to promised funding for projects such as marine turtle conservation as "cruel". Ms Williams said the message was "don't give up. Speak out - tell the stories, explain why this work is so important, and that it does impact people in a positive way,"

So here I am, speaking out, telling the story, trying to make a positive impact. These are precious, beautiful creatures. They are part of God's Creation, and as a Christian, I believe I am called to be a good steward of the earth.
God bless the turtles, Frankie and co at ASZ, and what remains of the conservation services in the USA. There is a link here if you want to find out how you can help ASZ with their sea turtle recovery programme.

* As far as I am concerned it is still the Gulf of Mexico