Cayman Turtle Farm Named as One of World’s Cruellest Tourist Attractions

The Cayman Turtle Farm has been named as one of the world’s cruellest wildlife tourist attractions in a recent ground breaking study carried out by researchers at the University of Oxford.

The study is the first to conduct an in-depth review of the impacts of the wildlife tourism industry globally. The researchers identified 48 types of wildlife tourist attraction (representing thousands of individual institutions), ranging from poorly attended street performances (like snake charming), to larger attractions (such as elephant rides), which have tens of thousands of visitors every year.

They then audited 24 types of wildlife tourist attraction in detail. The Turtle Farm was specifically included in this audit, where it received the lowest possible negative score (minus 3 of a 7 point scale) with regards to its impact on animal welfare.

The Farm has been repeatedly criticized by World Animal Protection and other sea turtle protection groups with regards to the animal welfare problems inherent within the tourist attraction (which also doubles as a commercial meat production facility), such as stress, disease and death associated with handling and cramped captive conditions.

The team examined feedback for wildlife tourist attractions left on TripAdvisor and found that attractions with poor welfare received more negative feedback than ones with better welfare. However even for the wildlife tourist attractions that scored lowest on welfare, like the Turtle Farm, typically 80% of the feedback left by tourists on TripAdvisor was positive.

World Animal Protection said:

“People trust TripAdvisor, so when they see that the Farm has a ‘4 star’ rating it encourages more tourists to go and visit it.”

“Unfortunately, these tourists are unaware that the TripAdvisor ratings that they are turning to for advice, do not actually incorporate the animal welfare impact of a facility.”

“World Animal Protection is very concerned that tourists, often no doubt lured in because of their love of turtles, are supporting the Farm without realizing that in actual fact, the facility’s conditions for turtles are extremely cruel”.

The study’s researchers are calling for TripAdvisor to improve its service to the visiting public by including in its evaluations a score for animal welfare and conservation, in a similar manner to its ‘Green Leaders’ scheme. This scheme enables tourists to identify sustainable attractions (as reviewed by an independent panel of representatives from environmental groups).

World Animal Protection has repeatedly called for the Cayman Turtle Farm to transition into a genuine rehabilitation facility that truly protects the turtles in its care. The Farm is also operating at a consistently significant financial loss, subsidized by taxpayers for around $10 million annually. 

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The Cayman Turtle Farm is the last sea turtle farm on earth that breeds sea turtles for human consumption. But there is no humane way to farm sea turtles.