Cayman Turtle Farm: I've never seen so many turtles!
Written: Jul 28 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: You can see turtles of all sizes and even pick them up
Cons: Not all of the turtles are released into the ocean
The Bottom Line: Interesting and educational experience that provides a unique opportunity to interact with the endangered Green Sea Turtle. Admission prices and souvenir purchases help support conservation efforts.
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| diverpam's Full Review: Cayman Turtle Farm |
Where else can you see 16,000 Green Sea Turtles in one fell swoop? This unique turtle farm has hatched and released some 30,000 turtles into the sea since 1980.
My first encounter with a Green Sea Turtle was several years ago while diving in Grand Cayman. The turtle, with a shell about three feet across, leisurely swam up alongside us. He was as curious about us as we were about him.
He didn't hang around long, but he did let us take his picture. When sharing our exciting experience with fellow divers back at the bar, we learned there was a turtle farm on the island.
Turtle Farm Location
It took us several years, but we finally got around to visiting there this spring. The farm is located about 8 miles from George Town in the West Bay District, on Northwest Point Road. If you're visiting Hell, then the Turtle Farm is nearby. Neither of these places take long to visit, so it would be good planning to do both in a morning or afternoon.
Our Visit
I wasn't sure what to expect as we pulled up to the entrance/gift shop. This is located on the ocean side of the road. We paid the man at the gate $5 CI ($6 USD) and he gave us a small map of the farm showing the various holding tanks and entrance to the remainder of the tour across the street.
Our first stop was the "pick-up" tank. There were about 25 fairly small turtles (shells 10-12 inches across) swimming in this tank. They seem to be accustomed to posing for pictures and being picked up from the water.
My husband and I took turns holding the turtles and trying to get pictures without getting the camera wet. Yes, folks, the turtles do splash if you drop them back into the water. One lady got soaked when a suddenly freed turtle thrashed about on his return to the water.
The gate keeper has a ready supply of paper towels for the unwary visitor.
There are also some parrots and an iguana or two in this area by the gift shop.
Breeding Turtles
The 350+ breeding turtles are kept in a 1,000,000 gallon pond with a beach for them to nest. These breeding turtles produce about 45,000 eggs per year.
Many of these offspring will be released into the sea, often with great fanfare during Pirate Week in October.
You can't visit the breeders up close (privacy, please!) but you can see their hatchlings next to the "pick-up" tank.
The Holding Tanks
After crossing the street you begin to see thousands of turtles. There are approximately 25 large concrete holding tanks with turtles of various sizes.
Some of the large turtles have been there since the farm's inception. (It takes from 20-50 years for a Green Sea Turtle to reach full maturity.)
So Many Turtles, So Little Space
Although these concrete holding tanks were really large, I was surprised to see so many turtles in such a confined space. Some of these turtles were huge! (An adult turtle can weigh 300 pounds.)
They seemed to be in constant motion. There was evidence of "turtle chow" floating in the water. The adult turtles are fed their specially-formulated chow pellets twice a day.
There was lots of thrashing about and sometimes the turtles seem to be playing or fighting, but there were creating quite a ruckus at times. Be careful with your cameras!
Self-Paced Tour
You can walk around at your own pace, spending as much time as you want at the different tanks. One tank seemed to be packed to overflowing with small turtles.
With an average population of 36,000 turtles and about 25 tanks, it's pretty easy to do the math. There were thousands of small turtles in this tank. These guys are fed three times a day and eat "trout chow" in small pellets.
Of course with all that eating, there's a lot of elimination, so the water is not exactly sparkling clean.
Conservation Efforts
I felt sorry for these turtles, so crowded they were bumping into each other constantly. But then I realized that without the conservation efforts of the Turtle Farm there would be thousands less turtles swimming freely in the oceans today.
It was good to know that many of these little fellows would one day be swimming happily in the ocean, and maybe checking out some strange looking scuba divers like my husband and me.
Overall Thoughts
This was an interesting tour and it was amazing to see so many turtles. The adults were enjoying watching the turtles as much as the children. It's definitely worth a visit.
In an hour or so you could easily see all the turtles and take all the pictures you want. The gift shop is a good place to cool off (the turtle tanks are out in the open) and look at turtle-related souvenirs.
Operating hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m every day. Adult admission is $6 USD and children 12 and under are admitted free.
If you make a $5 donation you can help "sponsor" a turtle's release. Green Sea Turtles are an endangered species and this conservation program raises money through admission, donations, and sales at the gift shop to keep the release program going. The goal of the farm is to release at least 10% of the one year old turtles.
The farm is now owned by the Cayman Islands government after a couple of failed commercial attempts starting in 1968.
It wasn't until I read a sign as we were leaving the farm, that I realized the majority of the turtles I had seen would be someday be processed for food.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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diverpam
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 350 members
About Me:
~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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