Hawksbill sea turtles have been hunted nearly to extinction for their distinctive shell, and despite trade bans, illegal tortoiseshell products continue to drive poaching.
Hawksbill turtles killed for their shell experience slaughter methods that vary from rapid to prolonged - some involving immersion in boiling water to separate the shell while the turtle may still be alive. Even rapid slaughter removes an individual from a population with critically low numbers, making each death a conservation as well as welfare harm. Nesting females are particularly targeted as they are most accessible, removing the breeding adults that populations most need to recover. Continued illegal trade means hawksbills still face poaching despite decades of protection.