Pick up the August 2012 issue of REPTILES and read the good news about how people are helping sea turtles.
It’s not often that we present an article about sea turtles, but I’m delighted to do so this month with Dr. Nicolas Pilcher’s sea turtle conservation update, especially because it is filled not with a lot of the doom and gloom that we’ve come to expect from articles about sea turtles, but with hope for these amazing creatures. A number of devoted individuals around the world have made an impact with programs to help sea turtles, and they’ve been working! This is not to say that sea turtle populations are overly abundant and that there’s no need to worry about the continued existence of these majestic animals. Sea turtles still need help, but Dr. Pilcher’s article made me believe that their future may not be entirely bleak.
Photo by Russ Case.
was able to observe this green sea turtle up close while snorkeling in Hawaii.
I have not had much face-to-face time with sea turtles, but I’ll never forget the time I was snorkeling in Kauai and came upon a group of about 30 green turtles feeding along a reef. They paid me no mind, and I was able to observe them up close for about an hour. That encounter is one of my all-time cherished herp highlights — actually, it’s one of my all-time favorite memories, period!
