A deceased Kemp’s ridley sea turtle found stranded on the Texas coast.

Mark,

A record-breaking number of sea turtles stranded off the Texas coast in April and May during the height of nesting season. Sadly most turtles were found dead.

Turtle Island Restoration Network is concerned the increase in strandings (when sea turtles are found dead, injured, sick, or exhibit abnormal behavior) is caused by illegal fishing in the coastal waters. We need your help right now to save endangered sea turtles and ensure wildlife officers can detect and apprehend illegal vessels in waters off the Texas coast.

Please take a few moments to urge Congress to protect endangered sea turtles and request additional enforcement against illegal fishing in federal waters.

A total of 159 stranded sea turtles were recorded in April – the highest number of strandings since monitoring began in 1980. Strandings continue at a rapid pace, and the latest data shows 186 turtles stranded in Texas through May 21.

Among those found were 75 dead Kemp’s ridley sea turtles: the Texas state sea turtle and the world’s most endangered sea turtle, with a nesting population of only 7,000 – 9,000 female turtles. The death of even one Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is of grave concern.

It is often difficult to determine why a sea turtle strands, but we do know turtles are drowning in illegal longline and gillnet fishing operations along the United States – Mexico border in southern Texas. We need government agencies on both sides of the border to take action now.

Fishing vessels are illegally longlining and gillnetting in both state and federal waters – catching, maiming and drowning sea turtles as well as other marine life in their hooks and nets.

We need stricter federal laws for anyone caught illegally fishing in federal waters since current penalties have not been a deterrence and strandings are at an all-time high in Texas. Please urge Congress to stand up for marine wildlife and request additional enforcement in federal waters to save sea turtles from suffering and death.

Without adequate enforcement, it is difficult for federal and state wildlife officers to detect and apprehend illegal fishing operations – in waters off the Texas coast and throughout the country. Tell Congress you are outraged at the record high numbers of sea turtle strandings, and please ask your representatives to take a stand against destructive and illegal commercial fishing in federal waters.

We must act now. Without swift action, we are headed for another record number of standed turtles for May and beyond.

Thank you,

Joanie Steinhaus
Gulf Program Director
Turtle Island Restoration Network

https://seaturtles.org/about-us/ 

WAV Comment – Please don’t even talk to me about shit thick tourists who have to do this; ‘I have to get a selfie’ type thing.  This is what your brain dead heads lead to for animals – suffering and death.  No wonder the world is in crisis when we have to have shit crap business like this – Thailand is a disgrace – boycott it.  Mark.

UPDATE – Please sign to close the zoo.

The Tragic Story of “Dumbo”, the Real-Life Performing Baby Elephant –

Help close Phuket Zoo – PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE

https://www.movinganimals.org/savedumbo

If stupid, ignorant, uncaring idiots would refuse to pay to go to these horrific places, take “selfies” with wild animals,  it would stop because there would be no money to be made from abusing animals.  As we say, in despair (again).

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7062675/Thai-elephant-calf-collapses-exhaustion-chained-mother.html

Elephant calf ‘collapses with exhaustion’ while tied to its mother giving rides to tourists in Thailand

• Clip shows animal, believed to be age one, attached to mother by a chain 
• Elephant calf rolled on the ground as temperature approached 40C in Pattaya 
• Incident was filmed by concerned tourist at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

An elephant calf collapsed ‘with exhaustion’ while tied to its mother as she gave rides to tourists in eastern Thailand last week.

The animal, believed to be around a year old, was attached to its mother by the neck with a length of rope in Pattaya.

In the clip, filmed by a concerned tourist, onlookers can be heard saying ‘oh no he’s tired’ as the baby rolls on the ground as temperatures approached 40C.

He then stands up and scampers away to keep up with the adult at the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.

Earlier this month a baby elephant nicknamed Dumbo died at a show in Phuket, southern Thailand, became so skeletal its back legs snapped while performing.

His keepers took him to a veterinary clinic on April 17 where a scan showed that he had broken both of his back legs, and he died three days later.