World Turtle Day

Held on May 23rd, World Turtle Day is an internationally acknowledged day that celebrates all turtles and raises awareness about the threats they face. Read on to learn more about turtles and how you can help them thrive.

What is World Turtle Day?

World Turtle Day celebrates turtles and tortoises around the world. It’s a chance for everyone to discover more about these complex and dignified animals.

When is World Turtle Day celebrated?

World Turtle Day was created in 2000 and is celebrated every year on May 23rd.

Why do we celebrate World Turtle Day?

World Turtle Day was created by American Tortoise Rescue to highlight the plight of turtles and tortoises both in the wild and in captivity.

7 facts about turtles

All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. A tortoise is a turtle that only lives on land while other turtles live mainly in rivers or the sea.
Turtles navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field and return to the beach they hatched on to nest their own young.
When travelling between their coastal feeding grounds and their nesting sites on beaches, turtles transport much-needed nutrients that help these ecosystems flourish.
Turtle shells are made of 50 different bones that have fused together. Their popularity as jewellery and collectable items has threatened turtles’ survival since the 18th century.
There are seven species of marine turtles; hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, olive ridley, green, flatback, and Kemp's ridley. Six of these seven species are at risk of extinction.
Turtles are highly sociable animals that travel across vast territories in large groups. This is just one reason why they don’t make good pets.
The illegal wildlife trade, the use of turtles in traditional medicine, and by-catch are the most significant threats to turtles in modern times.

Green sea turtle off the west coast of Oahu, Hawaii. — Green sea turtle off the west coast of Oahu, Hawaii

How humans threaten turtles’ survival

Turtles are at risk of extinction, especially marine turtles. They are increasingly losing out to human activity and their numbers are slow to recover.

Fewer hatchlings reach adulthood

Turtle hatchlings face extreme hazards with estimates suggesting that only between 1 in 1000 or 1 in 10,000 hatchlings reach adulthood. These hatchlings have always faced predators in their early days of life but human activity is reducing their survival rates even further.

By-catch and ocean population

Adult turtles are also at risk. They can be accidentally caught in fishing gear or even in the increasing level of plastic waste finding its way into the oceans.

Exotic pet trade

As well as turtles being harmed accidentally, there is a huge illegal trade in turtles. They are sought-after for their meat, eggs, and shells or as ‘exotic pets’.

World Animal Protection are urging Carnival Cruise Line ships to stop promoting and taking tourists to the Cayman Turtle Centre (CTC) tourist attraction. The CTC keeps turtles in unnacceptable conditions and allows tourists to handle them. It is the only facility in the world that still breeds sea turtles for meat. — World Animal Protection urges Carnival Cruise Line to stop promoting the Cayman Turtle Centre, which breeds sea turtles for meat and keeps them in poor conditions, allowing tourist handling.

A ghost net, entangling 17 deceased sea turtles, was discovered days after a storm off the coast of Bahia, Brazil. World Animal Protection's ghost gear campaign aims to reduce the discarded fishing nets and lobster pots that entangle marine animals. — A ghost net with 17 dead sea turtles was found off Bahia, Brazil, after a storm. World Animal Protection's campaign fights discarded fishing gear that traps marine animals.

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How to celebrate World Turtle Day

You can celebrate this important day wherever you are and however works best for you. Here are some World Turtles Day activities and ideas to mark the occasion.

Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with our campaigns and prepare for our calls to help end the exploitation of turtles for use in traditional medicine.
Raise awareness of how turtles and other animals are threatened by the exotic pet trade, including how this growing demand puts turtles at risk of extinction, how they suffer psychologically by not socialising with other animals, and how turtles can transmit diseases to and threaten human life.
Join our campaigns to help safeguard wild animals and their habitats and introduce more laws and policies to help prevent ocean by-catch and its detrimental effects on turtles and other marine wildlife.

Find out more about animal awareness days

Turtle FAQS

Are turtles reptiles?

Yes. Turtles are a type of reptile that is encased in a bony shell.

Can turtles breathe underwater?

Even sea turtles can’t breathe underwater. They need to return to the surface to breathe, which is why they can drown if they become entangled in fishing gear or plastic waste.

Can turtles live on land?

Some turtles live entirely on land while others are primarily aquatic. Turtles who live in water may be unable to eat on land.

Why are turtles endangered?

Turtles are endangered because of human activity. They are hunted for their eggs, shells, and meat, or are unintentionally caught in fishing nets and waste plastics.