1/5 J C. 5 months ago on Google • 13 reviews
I
don't
normally
go
to
attractions
where
they
have
animals
prefer
to
see
them
in
their
natural
habitat,
so
I'll
give
it
a
miss
Save
your
money
for
the
sting
ray
coral
reef
tour
Theyre
in
the
wild
at
least
Video
footage
and
photographs
from
the
farm
show
thousands
of
endangered
sea
turtles
being
kept
in
dirty,
packed
touch
tanks.
Swimming
in
water
filled
with
their
own
waste,
the
turtles
fight
for
food,
bite
each
other
and
even
resort
to
cannibalism.
Many
suffer
from
disease
and
birth
defects,
such
as
injured
fins
or
missing
eyes.
“Life
on
the
Cayman
Turtle
Farm
is
a
far
contrast
from
how
sea
turtles
live
in
the
wild,”
said
Elizabeth
Hogan,
Oceans
and
Wildlife
Campaigns
Manager
at
WSPA.
“It’s
truly
horrific
to
see
this
type
of
neglect
and
cruelty
taking
place
at
a
tourist
attraction.
Not
to
mention
the
fact
that
these
foul
conditions
aren’t
only
affecting
the
resident
turtles—humans
could
be
at
risk,
as
well.”
As
part
of
its
attraction,
the
farm
encourages
visitors
to
touch
and
pick
up
the
sea
turtles.
However,
WSPA
tested
and
found
traces
of
Salmonella,
E.
coli,
and
Vibrio
vulnificus
in
the
turtle
touch
tank
waters—meaning
that
visitors
who
touch
the
turtles
are
at
risk
for
contracting
these
diseases
and
then
possibly
spreading
them
to
fellow
passengers
back
on
board
their
cruise
ships.
According
to
a
2012
poll
conducted
by
Greenberg
Quinlan
Rosner,
69%
of
cruise
ship
passengers
who
visited
the
Cayman
Turtle
Farm
since
2009
were
unaware
of
these
health
risks,
and
the
majority
would
not
have
touched
the
sea
turtles,
had
they
known.
“The
bottom
line
is
that
the
farm
is
currently
posing
great
threats
to
sea
turtle
welfare
and
human
health,”
added
Hogan.
“We
want
to
help
the
farm
change
for
the
better,
but
its
unwillingness
to
meet
us
halfway
is
posing
a
great
challenge.”