Great Turtle Race II Online

Here is an interesting e-mail from Humane Society International about the journey of the endangered leatherback turtle accross the Pacific Ocean.

Watch the Great Turtle Race II and help save turtles

June 6, 2008

The race is on! Humane Society International is supporting the Great Turtle Race II, a two-week online event highlighting the epic 6,000-mile journey of the endangered leatherback turtle across the Pacific Ocean.

Having survived since the days of the dinosaurs, rare leatherbacks are now endangered. The number of sea turtles caught as bycatch each year — estimated at 250,000 — by boats fishing for swordfish, tuna, and shrimp is staggering. How can you help? Visit the Great Turtle Race website and get involved.

Eleven sponsored turtles have been equipped with satellite tags and are “racing” toward the International Dateline from nesting beaches in Indonesia and feeding areas along the United States’ West Coast. This online event will raise funds to protect leatherback turtle nesting areas in Indonesia and raise awareness about what individuals can do — on both sides of the Pacific Ocean — to help protect sea turtles through our daily actions.

I hope you will visit the website today to learn more about these amazing animals and get involved.

• Choose a favorite turtle to cheer during the race and follow her journey.
• Learn about the obstacles the leatherbacks will face along the way: fishing lines and nets, plastic bags that look like jellyfish, and changing ocean currents.
• Take the Seafood Pledge and avoid tuna, swordfish and shrimp during the race.

Together we can protect leatherback turtles and other endangered species.

Thank you for all that you do to help animals.

Sincerely,

Andrew Rowan
Chief Executive Officer
Humane Society International

Photo by: Doug Perrine/Seapics.com