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“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." - Native American Proverb
Now, the question hangs heavy: can the magnificent leatherback sea turtle survive us? Truly extraordinary, these creatures claim the titles of longest-living, largest, deepest-diving, and fastest-swimming of all sea turtles. Imagine lungs that collapse to explore ocean depths, an innate compass guiding them across thousands of miles, and a blubberous coat allowing survival through long, foodless stretches. These gentle giants, weighing as much as a grand piano, possess flippers that can propel them at over 20 miles per hour, traversing distances equivalent to multiple global circumnavigations within their century-long lives.
A testament to nature's breathtaking power, a wonder beyond human creation, a marvel we have revered for millennia. From their veneration as creators in parts of Mexico and Costa Rica to their integral role in Maori cosmology and deep roots in southern African cultures, leatherbacks have inspired global admiration. But a single, fatal flaw now jeopardizes their existence: their protein-rich eggs and meat. A surging demand makes them easy targets for unsustainable harvesting, tearing them from their nesting beaches.
This vulnerability is driving a 100-million-year lineage towards a tragic end, causing catastrophic population declines in Arctic seas and along Caribbean shores. The speed and ruthlessness of this decline threaten to erase these Jurassic survivors within an evolutionary heartbeat if we fail to safeguard their nests.
But hope remains, and you are part of it. Your donations empower beach patrols (day and night) to provide round-the-clock protection for nesting sites and support hatchlings' safe journey to the ocean. You support local communities in discovering alternative protein sources, breaking the cycle of egg harvesting. You fuel hatcheries that release thousands of precious hatchlings into the vast ocean. Finally, you help us to remove plastics from the ocean and reduce them entering the ocean.
The loss of this extraordinary species would be an immeasurable heartbreak. Yet, with your help, their ancient journey can continue.
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