Turtles evolved more than 200 million years ago, and have existed as we know them today for over 150 million years, even surviving the demise of the dinosaurs. Amazingly, that’s more than 3,000 times longer than man has inhabited the earth! Yet man’s relationship with turtles has varied greatly. Throughout time many cultures have venerated them while also relentlessly persecuting them; eating their flesh and eggs, using their oils and shells, and thoughtlessly abusing and exploiting them. Turtles and tortoises worldwide are disappearing at an alarming rate due to habitat loss, consumption for food, medicinal uses, environmental pollution, and the demand for the international pet trade.
Today, turtles and tortoises face an uncertain future in a rapidly changing world. It has taken man only a few hundred years to drive many species the way of the dodo, to extinction. Sadly, as many as two-thirds of the world’s existing turtle and tortoise species are threatened. If they are to have ANY future at all, , the conservation of their habitats is crucial, and changes in cultural attitudes towards turtles are essential as well.
In the past, countless children grew up with turtles or tortoises in their backyard or experienced them on a nature hike. Turtles, and all wildlife, are a part of our natural heritage. We should ask ourselves: What will we leave behind for future generations?
