The Cayman Turtle Farm is a 23-acre adventure marine park and is allegedly the only one of its kind in the world. Owned and operated by the Cayman government, it is home to over 11,000 green sea turtles ranging from six ounces to 600 hundred pounds. Here you have the opportunity to photograph as well as hold some of the baby sea turtles. (Handling the turtles is only permitted after the use of hand sanitizer – provided before and after the handling.) I still had difficulties wrapping my head around the fact that this is also a working farm where turtles are raised commercially for sale primarily to local restaurants. Somehow, just didn’t feel right. On the other hand, at least this prevents a black market from developing regarding sea turtle meat harvested from the ocean.

The green sea turtle is named for the greenish color of its skin and not the shell which can vary from shades of brown to olive. (The shell is also known as a carapace and is smooth and quite lovely.) Found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world, adult green turtles feed on sea grasses and algae, though juvenile green turtles are known to dine on invertebrates such as crabs, jellyfish and sponges. Green turtles are known to migrate lengthy distances from their feeding sites to nesting grounds. When they mate, which is every two to four years, the females will swim to shore afterwards to lay their eggs. Using their flippers, they dig a pit in the sand for the clutch of 100 to 200 eggs, and then they cover it with sand before returning back to the sea. About two months later, eggs begin hatching and the small turtles will make their way to the sea. This is a very hazardous time, as many will perish to predators such as crabs and sea gulls.

Though an endangered species, sea turtles are still poached for their meat and eggs. Numbers are further dwindled by the fact that many sea turtles fall prey to drowning from being caught in fishnets, while others become victims to boat propeller accidents. However, the destruction of their nesting grounds by human encroachment is probably one of the greatest threats.

IMAGE: Green Sea Turtle at Cayman Turtle Farm Credit: Karin Leperi

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