Cayman Turtle Farm war with Animal Society heats up again
In the blue corner:
‘Still no improvement to welfare’ at Cayman Islands Turtle Farm
From WSPA
Major animal welfare problems still remain at the Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF) according to a new piece of research published this week by the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics.
The study reveals that a high proportion of turtles housed in the tourist area of the Farm still exhibit signs of injury, disease and other abnormalities resulting from intensive farming practices. The observations were made during an onsite inspection this year. Three highly specialised reptile biologists conducted the study. Phillip Arena of Murdoch University, Clifford Warwick, a London-based biologist and medical scientist who was recently offered the post of Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in recognition of his long career and scientific contributions to reptile welfare and conservation; and Catrina Steedman of the Emergent Disease Foundation.
The report, Welfare and Environmental Implications of Farmed Sea Turtles, presents a major challenge for the managers of the Cayman Turtle Farm, who committed earlier this year to improve conditions for the 9,500 turtles in their care. The report’s findings also tally with the results of global animal protection charity, World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) and their undercover investigation conducted over a year ago, which revealed worrying welfare concerns.
The study team’s new report directly contradicts claims made by the Turtle Farm’s independent assessment inspection in December 2012, where it was claimed there was no strong evidence for WSPA’s concerns about animal welfare. Since the CTF’s inspection, WSPA and other wildlife organisations have criticised the 2012 inspection report for failing to consider turtle welfare as part of its remit; they have also said that where the inspection report did raise concerns, little to no progress has been made.
The authors of the new report concluded that the biological needs of the turtles are incompatible with the artificial, intensive and under-stimulating conditions at the Farm. Co-Author of the paper Clifford Warwick said:
“Our detailed evidence- based research into farming practices at the Cayman Turtle Farm has highlighted a range of physical and behavioral problems, some of which are extremely serious.
“In our view, these concerns are unresolvable, the Farm simply cannot replicate the turtle’s natural habitat, nor can it meet their biological needs within a captive environment. Also,the transmission of potentially dangerous pathogens from the turtles to the visiting public continues to represent a significant health risk.
The recent changes instituted by the CTF do not alter any of these concerns.”
The Journal’s findings represent another key development in the on-going campaign to transform the CTF from a commercial farm into a turtle rescue, rehabilitation and release centre, led by WSPA. The campaign has generated support from over 180,000 people worldwide, as well as a host of animal welfare and conservation organisations.
Commenting on the new research, WSPA wildlife advisor and campaign leader, Dr. Neil D’Cruze said:
“The turtles at the Cayman Turtle Farm are still exhibiting signs consistent with animal cruelty, which is extremely worrying. Despite WSPA raising concerns over a year ago, this new scientific report shows that the turtles are still suffering.
“WSPA has met with the new Caymanian Government and had open and candid talks to ensure that positive steps are taken to help the thousands of sea turtles which continue to suffer at the Cayman Turtle Farm. We hope the new government will learn from the errors of its predecessors and ultimately see that the long term solution for the Cayman Turtle Farm is to become a turtle rehabilitation and release facility.”
To download a copy of Welfare and Environmental implications of farmed sea turtles by lead author Clifford Warwick, Phillip C Arena and Catrina Steedman go to:
And in the red corner
CTF responds to latest WSPA allegations
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is trying another publicity attack against the Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF) with the release of an article published by WSPA-sponsored researchers. In this article authored by Phillip C. Arena, Clifford Warwick and Catrina Steedman, various previous WSPA claims against the Cayman Turtle Farm alleging mistreatment of the turtles on the Farm and potential environmental threats are re-hashed and repeated for public consumption.
The allegations were originally made by the WSPA in mid-2012. Since that time, the CTF has undergone an independent expert assessment of the Farm and has taken several steps to address issues which arose from the independent inspection report.
“This latest article really isn’t saying much of anything the WSPA hasn’t already said before. It repeats the same allegations the WSPA made previously citing the same authors, and basically comes across as just another effort by the WSPA to force the Cayman Turtle Farm and the CI Government to completely change the operating model of the CTF since the WSPA campaign has thus far been unsuccessful in achieving that aim,” said Mr Tim Adam, Managing Director of CTF. “The WSPA wants to stop turtle farming, stop having a legal source of farmed turtle meat, stop public interaction with turtles, and cease our turtle release programmes.
Apparently the WSPA has sponsored yet another report hoping it will help them achieve those objectives.”
In December 2012 the CTF voluntarily committed to a review of its operations by an independent inspection team of internationally-recognised turtle experts and while the report highlighted some areas for improvement in the non-public “production” side of the facility, the review made specific mention of a number of positive impacts of the farm.
The inspection report validated the CTF’s provision of a legal source of turtle meat as a way to assist in the prevention of illegal poaching in the wild; confirmed the inspectors had no concerns with regard to the public facing side of the facility which includes guests interacting with turtles; found no evidence of congenital deformities among the Farm’s turtle population; concluded that the process of harvesting turtles for meat is carried out humanely and hygienically; found clear evidence that the Cayman Turtle Farm’s turtle release programme contributed to the enhancement of the wild nesting population; and saw the Cayman Turtle Farm’s engagement in research programmes as invaluable in understanding the biology of sea turtles.
The inspection team’s findings were the result of an intensive on-site review of all of the CTF’s public facing and commercial facilities, conducted by a team of scientists each of whom are internationally known and respected for their expertise on sea turtles.
By contrast, the WSPA research methods are somewhat lacking, as their initial research in Cayman was very limited and conducted as part of an “undercover investigation” without the cooperation of the CTF. Conclusions made in the most recent article by Arena, Warwick and Steedman are also based in large part on what the authors themselves call “a desktop review” and materials provided to them by the WSPA. The “onsite inspection” they refer to was made as “undercover” guests visiting the park– which, unlike the independent inspectors, would have given them very limited access for inspection and observation.
It should also be noted that the authors of this article have been affiliated with the WSPA for some time now and are cited in its initial “investigative” reports on the Cayman Turtle Farm. Furthermore, while Mr Warwick and the WSPA have consistently refused to share their research findings with the CTF prior to publication despite repeated requests, the CTF has openly supplied the full independent inspection report to the WSPA.
“We have released the full inspection report in its entirety,” Mr Adam says. “And we are frankly disappointed that the WSPA continues to repeat their same accusations about the Cayman Turtle Farm in order to damage our reputation and impede our work.”
The Cayman Turtle Farm is a leading facility in turtle research and conservation and educates over 200,000 people each year about Green Sea Turtles, underscoring the vital role it plays as an internationally recognised research and conservation organisation.
The CTF has enabled some 150 scientific papers that have been either published or presented over the years, and has on-going research partnerships in place.
The CTF has overseen the release of over 31,000 turtles into the wild since it first began operations and there is collated evidence of increased numbers of turtles now returning to the Cayman Islands to nest.
“At the Cayman Turtle Farm we are committed to the health, safety and well-being of both our guests and our animals and we continue to strive for the highest standards in all the key aspects of the work we do – sea turtle reproduction and husbandry, conservation, display and education,” Mr Adam says. “The independent inspection of our operations confirmed the validity of our research and conservation work, and also highlighted areas for improvement. We have worked hard since the publication of the inspection report to address the issues raised by the independent inspectors, and we strive for continued improvements. We are the only place in the world that has achieved what we have done breeding, hatching, and raising sea turtles in a closed loop entirely on a farm with no eggs or turtles being taken from the wild, providing a legal source of farmed turtle meat to take pressure off the wild population, and then also releasing a portion of them into the wild to help replenish the ocean’s sea turtle population. Being such a unique undertaking, of course we keep on learning and improving the care for these very special species of animals while making it possible for hundreds of thousands of people each year to come and see them up close and in person, interact with them, and learn about them.”
Since the publication of the inspection report, the CTF has recruited a full-time veterinarian and a farm manager; established a CTF Scientific Advisory Board including experts on animal husbandry and farming, conservation, wild sea turtles and the environment to oversee, support and make recommendations on the company’s on-going operations and action plans in response to the inspection report; developed and continuing to refine an extensive release protocol including mandatory quarantine of animals to be released into the wild; installed additional hatchling and quarantine tanks; adjusted feeding schedules and density of turtles in each tank; developed effective medication protocols for the treatment of skin lesions; and remains engaged in on-going research studies to increase scientific knowledge on the biology of sea turtles.
Mr Adam said, “Cayman Turtle Farm and the turtles in our care have considerably benefited from the recommendations of the inspection report, which was unbiased and based on an intensive and thorough on-site review of the entire farm by recognised experts, unlike the articles and reports repeatedly being issued by the WSPA. I would like to underscore the Cayman Turtle Farm’s commitment to ensuring a healthy, safe and sustainable environment both for our turtles and for all those who come to visit us.”
The full inspection report can be found at http://www.turtle.ky/mediareleaseinspectionfindings
See also iNews Cayman related story published September 17, 2013 “WSPA releases “Stop Sea Turtle Farming” infographic at: http://www.ieyenews.com/2013/09/wspa-releases-stop-sea-turtle-farming-infographic/
