From WAP

Talks regarding the Cayman Turtle Farm to resume and coincide with a reception held by Conservative MP Dr Matthew Offord from the UK Parliament

June 29 – World Animal Protection (formerly known as the World Society for the Protection of Animals) are returning to Grand Cayman to resume talks with the Government over ongoing concerns at the Cayman Turtle Farm.

World Animal Protection also sponsored a reception on Monday June 28, hosted by Dr Matthew Offord MP, at the Grand Old House in George Town, Grand Cayman. The event focused on environmental progress on the Islands including the National Conservation Law and the ongoing animal welfare problems associated with the Cayman Turtle Farm, the last facility in the world that commercially farms endangered green sea turtles.

Talks with the Government will aim to build on prior positive measures agreed upon earlier this year, which include the funding of research into the true local demand for turtle meat and the effectiveness of the Farm’s annual turtle release program, as well as the suspension of the release program until the results of such research are available.

Dr Matthew Offord is a Member of Parliament’s influential Environmental Audit Select Committee, which earlier this year issued their report Sustainability in the UK Overseas Territories, where they echoed World Animal Protection’s ongoing concerns at the Turtle Farm and welcomed ongoing dialogue with the Cayman Islands Government. The Committee has also raised the issue of the UK Government’s role as part of its ongoing discussions with the Cayman Islands Government.

Dr Offord said: “It is a great pleasure to return to the unique island that Grand Cayman is. The Cayman Islands Government has worked hard since the Environmental Audit Committee published its inquiry into sustainability in the Overseas Territories. While I am on vacation it has been an opportunity to meet up with many people involved with conservation of the island. I support the positive dialogue that is occurring between World Animal Protection and the Cayman Islands Government in addressing issues of sustainability at the Cayman Turtle Farm and look forward to their cooperation in the future.”

Dr Neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Policy and Research at World Animal Protection, said, “We commend Dr Offord for his admirable advocacy on behalf of animal welfare, and are grateful to have had the opportunity to meet with Caymanian stakeholders to continue our discussions on how best to achieve positive change for green sea turtles.”

World Animal Protection has long advocated for the Cayman Turtle Farm not to close but to transition into a true rehabilitation and release facility that fully protects sea turtles.

We were formerly known as WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals).

For more on World Animal Protection’s campaign on behalf of sea turtles in the Cayman Islands, visit www.stopseaturtlefarm.org

IMAGE: www.bloomberg.com