It all started in 2004, in Moorea, in French Polynesia. Struck by the number of weakened and wounded sea turtles, Cécile Gaspar, a veterinarian, decided to set up a centre to treat and heal the sick and injured animals, at the request of the Polynesian government and more specifically the Department for the Environment. As it’s sadly often the case, many are mutilated victims of poaching.
It is estimated that more than half of sea turtles found in distress are victims of human behaviour. There is poaching, of course, with protected species being hunted for their flesh, but also a whole load of other factors that are weakening these species in Polynesia and throughout the world. Fishing nets and pollution are the main causes – the accidental ingestion of plastic by turtles is truly devastating.
