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Stop Endangered Green Sea Turtle Experiments
posted on March 10, 2011
Lifeforce is demanding that endangered sea turtles at the University of British Columbia be retired to a sanctuary. However, UBC is considering a proposal from Sea Life Centres aquariums in Europe to exchange the younger seven for the aquariums’ older ones. (Read: VANCOUVER SUN MARCH 9, 2011 http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Endangered+green+turtles+lease+life/4407710/story.html)
The unnecessary invasive experiments on older endangered turtles and the further imprisonment for the younger ones is a horrible plan. If the oldest turtle is 72 years at Sea Life Centres and if green sea turtles can live up to 100 years (and sea turtle longevity records is 152 years > Guinesss Records) then none of the turtles are on deaths’ doorstep. They should die in peace and not be subjected to painful, unnecessary experiments.
Recently, it was revealed by a whistleblower that UBC experiments have been conducted for over ten years with endangered green sea turtles. It was claimed that the remaining turtles would be killed because the lab will be demolished.
UBC said experiments were started to study climate change and fishing methods since one of the threats is entrapment in fish nets. These 16 green sea turtles were obtained from the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm. Two died, and seven were retired to educational facilities. But now the remaining seven turtles are scheduled to be killed this spring. Bill Milsom, researcher and head of UBC’s zoology department, claims that major surgeries must be done to complete a study of diving depths.
In the wild, sea turtles continue to dive to depths already known by observations from field studies. The massive fishing nets continue to intrude into their territories. Environmentalists have been fighting for fishing moratoriums and bans on destructive fishing operations. Sound deterrents have been tested on some fishing nets in attempts to prevent dolphin, porpoise, and whale entrapment. Some of the TEDs (Turtle Excluder Devices) and TSDs (Turtle Saving Devices) have been developed as far back as the 70s. Also raising ethical concerns, in the wild dive depths and ranges of turtles have been determined by attaching data loggers and satellite tags to sea turtles and other marine wildlife. In fact, UBC has participated and are fully aware of these alternatives.
Imprisoning sea turtles in laboratory chambers and tanks to look at thermoregulation, dive behaviour and heart rate will not save them or others. Harnessing them, starving them and subjecting them many other stressful, painful experimental procedures are extremely cruel, scientifically fallacious and absolutely unnecessary. One experiment conclusion was that summer and winter month activity of the turtles was the same. But of course that is under the artificial laboratory conditions. No breakthroughs here at UBC and certainly no justification for over ten years of experiments.
Help Stop Endangered Green Sea Turtle Experiments
Email:
1. Ken Oakley, Spokesperson, Sea Life Centres: comments@merlinentertainments.biz
2. Stephen J. Toope , UBC President and Vice-Chancellor: presidents.office@ubc.ca
3. Clement Gauthier, Executive Director, Canadian Council on Animal Care: cgauthier@ccac.ca
Please Read:
UBC endangered sea turtles should die in peace not in experiments.
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