turtle-race
“Let animals live in their natural habitats.”
If you have ever seen Minnesota’s turtle races, you probably know the sad truth behind it. For all of you that don’t know about Minnesota’s turtle races, let me explain the rules of the races. There is an inner ring and an outer ring. The turtles will be released in the inner ring and the first one that crosses the outer ring is the winner. But that’s harmless, right? Well, it may seem harmless. But there is a massive problem. The turtles used for races are all wild caught and yes, I’m serious. They are wild caught! It is illegal to keep native animals as pets but for some reason, if the turtles are being used for turtle races it is legal to use them! Minnesota did change a law that even if you want to keep a wild turtle you need a special permit. In the past, however, using them as pets was illegal. It gets even worse. About half the turtles die during the races because during the races they are exposed to a lot of stress. The races also happen during their egg-laying season. This means by doing these races their population cannot grow. The turtles also walk on the rough, bricky surface and they also get injured during that process. Also, the turtles are kept together in a dog kennel-like enclosure. And that just promotes the risk of diseases. They cannot explore or do any physical activity. This makes them even weaker due to the lack of exercise. And when the races are over the remaining turtles are dropped into a different pond and not where they are collected. This results in some of them dying. And they also encourage the public to bring one wild turtle for the race. Also, the turtles are mostly fed turtle pellets and wild turtles won’t know what pellets are. So, if the city collects about a hundred turtles for the races. Half of the turtles die, leaving us with fifty and 20% of relocated reptiles that don’t survive. This leaves us with 10 survivors left. Also, the children handle the turtles without adult supervision so they are mishandled, the turtles are dropped and kicked which also results in injuries. So, 90 turtles have to die just for our entertainment! We need to stop turtle races. It’s not worth all of this cruelty just for human entertainment. Instead, we can set up more turtle sanctuaries and zoos, where the turtles have a happy life and humans can also enjoy watching them.
