Sea turtles, crocodiles, sharks, manatees, frogs, lizards. These are among the many ancient creatures that we share our planet with. These animals survived whatever ultimately killed the dinosaur. They've survived global ice ages and global warmings (the kind brought on by nature and shifts in the earth's orbit). They've survived super volcanoes and tsunamis and yet now all of these great creatures are endangered.
The reason? One species, a relatively young species, has decided that it's life is more valuable than all of these ancient creatures. One species has decided that it's convenience is more important than the health of our planet. One species gets to make decisions that impact countless species all over the world and what of all those species? Well, we have dominion over them, isn't that what God said?
In the ongoing saga of the oil spill, the LA times has an excellent article about the ancient tradition of the female sea turtle who slowly makes her way to the Gulf every year to breed. The oil spill is only the most recent calamity to befall this ancient creature. Beach lights, waste, dwindling habitats are all leading to the endangerment of this gentle animal.
Sea turtles' breeding tradition threatened, read the full article here.
By Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
June 12, 2010 | 8:18 p.m.
la-na-oil-spill-turtles-20100613
Reporting from Gulf Shores, Ala —
Each summer, a ritual millions of years old unfolds on this beach, next to the high-rise condos and beach chairs, the T-shirt shops and the Hooters across the road. A 300-pound loggerhead turtle drags herself out of the water for the first time since her birth, probably on the same beach, 18 years ago.
Under the moonlight, she kicks a 2-foot-deep hole into the sand, drops in a gleaming heap of eggs, covers it and then lumbers back out to sea. Two months later, 100 or more tiny turtles will scratch their way up through the sand, glimpse the shine of the moon and stars on the water that serves as some kind of celestial GPS, and head for the sea.
Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Flatback (Natator depressa)
We humans are very fond of our holiday traditions, family traditions, etc., etc. We need to understand that other creatures have their own traditions, some of them integral to their survival. Their traditions will give us images like this.
These creatures are too precious to lose. Their loss will be a loss to our hearts, our imaginations and to our very souls.
If you want to help the sea turtles, there are a number of ways. See the following site for ideas:
Help Save Sea Turtles Today!