Wildlife

Wild Leatherback Sea Turtle Conservation

Leatherback turtles are critically endangered, facing threats from plastic ingestion, fishing bycatch, and beach loss.

Key Facts

Leatherbacks are the largest living turtle, reaching 900kg
They migrate from tropical nesting beaches to polar feeding grounds
Plastic bags are mistaken for jellyfish and cause fatal blockages
Pacific leatherback population has declined 90%+ since the 1980s

Welfare Considerations

Leatherbacks that ingest plastic slowly starve as their digestive systems become blocked. Those caught in longlines and gillnets drown. Nesting beaches eroded by sea-level rise and disturbed by tourism fail, causing reproductive failure. Each leatherback lost is an individual who may have lived 45+ years and travelled hundreds of thousands of kilometres.

What You Can Do

Eliminate plastic bag use and advocate for plastic bag bans
Choose seafood from fisheries with leatherback bycatch mitigation
Support nesting beach protection programmes in the Caribbean and Pacific
Donate to leatherback research and conservation organisations