Following a  recent publication of a scientific paper  showing that standards at the Cayman Turtle Farm are still causing intense suffering to endangered green sea turtles, the issue has been raised again in Westminster.

During oral answers to questions Owen Paterson MP and Secretary of State for Defra was asked what the UK Government is doing to tackle the serious animal welfare problems at the Farm on Grand Cayman.

Graeme Morrice, MP for Livingston said: “Is the Secretary of State aware of the most recent piece of scientific research on the Cayman Turtle Farm? It supports the position of the World Society for the Protection of Animals that: ‘There is no humane way to farm sea turtles.’ Will he, along with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, take decisive action to alleviate the suffering of these endangered animals?”

The Secretary responded by saying that the matter is of real concern to a number of MPs who have written to him on the subject, adding that the Government is taking what actions it can.

Simon Pope, WSPA UK Director of Campaigns and Communications said: “WSPA is pleased to hear that MPs have been raising the public’s concerns and it is important to see that the Secretary has been taking action on this issue. However with nearly 10,000 endangered sea turtles trapped with no sign of imminent change at the Farm, we would like to see further explanation of what action the Government is taking on this issue.”

Biodiversity is an ongoing area of concern for the UK’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), who are looking into how the government can be more effective in protection of biodiversity and wildlife in UK Overseas Territories.

WSPA believes that the operations at the Cayman Turtle Farm could seriously undermine biodiversity within the Cayman Islands and surrounding waters, and hopes that these issues will be reflected in the work of the EAC.

Meanwhile, some of the concerning practices at the Farm, such as the continuing handling of these fragile animals by the general public, have been profiled on a travel industry news site in the US.

WSPA USA Campaign Manager Elizabeth Hogan helps to bust some myths surrounding eco-tourism and greenwashing in the article, which follows:

Eco-tourist attractions and greenwashing: What you can do

Image via stopseaturtlefarm.org

By Nelson Alcantara, ETN Editor-In-Chief | OCT 14, 2013

In recent years, eco-tourism has become a hot buzzword for environmentally minded travelers, but the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) advises tourists to research visitor attractions to ensure they are operating responsibly, keeping in mind the welfare of animals and the environment, and avoid those that are simply greenwashing.

Using the Cayman Turtle Farm as an example, Elizabeth Hogan, oceans and wildlife campaigns manager at WSPA, put together a list of five tips that can help tourists identify when an eco-tourist attraction is not as animal- or environmentally friendly as it claims. The turtle farm is a popular tourist destination in the Cayman Islands that alleges to focus on the conservation and the protection of endangered sea turtles, but also sells them for food and has a poor track record on animal protection issues.

Avoid direct interaction with the animals.

As a general rule, you shouldn’t be touching animals at an eco-tourist attraction. Whether it’s swimming with dolphins or holding sea turtles, this kind of contact with hundreds or thousands of tourists can traumatize the very animals being protected and compromise their health, sometimes in serious ways. Be wary of any eco-tourist attraction that encourages or allows this kind of contact and know it may also pose a health risk for you personally. For example, at the Cayman Turtle Farm, tourists are encouraged to handle the sea turtles, putting themselves at risk of contracting E.coli and salmonella.

If there is a high entertainment to science ratio, stay away.

Eco-tourist attractions must balance science and entertainment. Unfortunately, some lean too heavily on the latter. If the eco-tourist attraction you’re considering has too much entertainment, such as snorkeling with sea turtles in small artificial ponds as the case at the Cayman Turtle Farm, it may not be paying enough attention to welfare of the animals it’s supposedly protecting and the science of conservation.

Don’t eat any of the animals supposedly being protected.

Done properly, there’s nothing wrong with farming. But it’s a very different thing than conservation. Any eco-tourist attraction that tries to balance conservation of a species with selling it for meat is caught in a conflict of interest. At the Cayman Turtle Farm, it claims to be helping endangered sea turtles while simultaneously selling sea turtle meat to local restaurants.

Look for what trusted third parties have to say.

Before you visit an attraction, spend a few minutes on the Internet to see what trusted third-party groups have to say. In the case of the Cayman Turtle Farm, WSPA as well as other animal and conservation groups have expressed concerns about its policies and practices which are online and come up in any search on the farm.

Ask you travel agent, cruise line and hotel concierge lots of questions.

With the four points above in mind, come armed with questions for anyone recommending you visit an eco-tourist attraction. Ask members of the travel industry to investigate the attractions they are promoting and provide proof that the property is operating with animal’s and the environment’s interest at its core. If they can’t answer all of your concerns, look for other animal- and eco-friendly options. In the case of the Cayman Turtle Farm, WSPA and other groups have met with and encouraged cruise lines visiting the Cayman Islands to stop directing tourists to the farm because of its poor track record with animal welfare issues.

WSPA says keeping these five simple tips in mind will help environmentally minded travelers avoid eco-tourist attractions that fail to meet industry standards.

“Ultimately people want to do the right thing and eco-tourism sounds good, it feels good, and people like the idea that they are helping make the world a better place while they are on vacation,” added Hogan. “But it’s not that simple. Luckily if you know what to look for it’s fairly easy to spot problem places even if no one tells you.”

For more on these stories go to:

http://www.wspa.org.uk/latestnews/2013/defra_cayman_turtle_farm_concern_mps.aspx