Cayman Turtle Centre
Swim with turtles in a lagoon full of colorful marine life. Explore a free flight zone filled with local and exotic birds at Cayman’s largest land based tourist attraction.
Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho once said, "It is the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary."
Imagine, if you could do something extraordinary for your planet by simply picking up #3PlasticsADay.
It is a fact that plastic pollution is devastating our seas and at the same killing innocent wildlife. If we do not act, then by 2050, by weight, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.
Source Link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/3plasticsaday-lets-make-the-planet-a-clean-place/
Officials at the Cayman Turtle Centre are turning their attention to the release of a very different kind of creature than the one most frequently at the centre of the Centre’s wild release programme. Staff are currently preparing to release a Cayman Parrot that hasrecently fledged in the aviary. The baby parrot was hatched in early June to Leo, a male parrot who has called the Centre home since the 1980s and Sweetpea, a wild parrot rescued from a poacher and donated to the Turtle Centre’s aviary by Cayman Wildlife Rescue. The countdown to the parrots release will see the young bird isolated from human contact and a weaning from commercial feed. The staff will introduce natural wild food such as hardwood seeds and fruits, along with the branches of the trees so the young parrot will recognize the sources. Once the parrot has ignored the commercial feed and gone only for the wild diet, which could take up to a month or more then the bird will be released into the wild.
Source Link : https://www.turtle.ky/explore/mascots/parrot-sweetpea/
The Cayman Turtle Centre has revealed that a nine foot long crocodile which was captured in 2006 in North Side has become a permanent exhibit at the facility, allegedly entertaining visitors at feeding times. “Smiley”, as the female crocodile has been called, is now being housed alone in a purpose-built enclosure, named Smiley’s Saltwater Lounge. The Centre said the creature “has proven very popular” since being introduced to the facility’s wildlife encounter. The croc is believed to be a mix of Cuban and American crocodiles and therefore was unsuitable for release back into the wild.
Source Link : https://www.turtle.ky/explore/mascots/croc-smiley/
The British author - Michael Morpurgo once said - ‘Animals are sentient, intelligent, perceptive, funny, and entertaining. We owe them a duty of care as we do to children.’
It was a similar outlook that led to the establishment of the Cayman Turtle Centre. When we heard about the sea turtle that was found afloat in Crystal Harbour by local boaters last Wednesday, our team members - Walter and Navi instantly offered to volunteer and assist Department of Environment for extricating the turtle.
The boaters who found the turtle contacted DoE’s turtle team, and along with the staff from Island Vet, our team members helped in administering antibiotics and performing X-rays. While the cause of distress is still unsure, the Department of Environment is thoroughly taking care of the 4-year old turtle with periodical feeding and regular check-ups.
The Cayman Turtle Centre is all about rescuing, caring, and protecting the wildlife of the island. We are extremely proud to have staff members like Walter and Navi, who go above and beyond to save animals.
Source Link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/walter-and-navi-our-team-members-who-helped-rescue-the-sick-turtle/
There are only a few species so ancient that they can say they watched dinosaurs evolve and then later become extinct. As you start your adventure, your first encounter will take you within feet of some of the most majestic and ancient animals in the world! The Genesis Pond is home to our Green Sea Turtles who have matured and are at or near the age to start reproducing; which is usually at about 16 years of age in captivity. Turtles return to the nesting beaches of their mothers and grandmothers. The beach at the edge of the pond allows female turtles to nest in an environment very similar to the ones they would nest in if they were in the wild.
Green Sea Turtles are the largest of the hard-shelled sea turtles and the second largest of all turtle species. Here you will find a few weighing in at more than 500 pounds. During breeding season, from May to October, you may even be lucky enough to spot a nest where a female laid her eggs the night before!
Source link : https://www.turtle.ky/explore/turtle-encounters/
A major new scientific report entitled, “How many came home? Evaluating ex-situ conservation of green turtles in the Cayman Islands” shows that most nesting turtles in the Cayman Islands are related to those released from the Cayman Turtle Centre in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The report is based on genetic results from the University of Barcelona and was recently published in the Journal of Molecular Ecology.
The report states: “We determined that 90% of the wild individuals were related to the captive stock. Our results suggest a strong impact of the reintroduction program on the present recovery of the wild green turtle population nesting in the Cayman Islands.”
Source link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/new-research-shows-turtle-centres-release-programme-is-working/
Bodden Town Primary getting the opportunity to touch the head started turtle during their private school release near Turtle Nest Inn under the guidance of Geddes Hislop, our Curator, Terrestrial Exhibits & Education Programmes Officer.
One of our recent initiatives enabled school children to release turtles as well as understand the responsibility that each of us has to undertake for the well-being of turtles and other marine creatures.
We had about 20 turtles ready to make their journey into the sea. The refreshing and effective idea to host a turtle naming competition among schools came from our Education Outreach team. The idea was to give the school students, who came up with the best names for our turtles, an opportunity to release them into the sea.
Source link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/turtles-released-by-school-students/
Students from First Baptist Christian immediately started picking up plastics as soon as they pledged to be Turtle Rangers
One of the main problems causing a life hazard to turtles in the wild is the discharge of plastic waste into the ocean. Not only turtles but also other marine creatures consume the menacing plastic wastes, mistaking it for food. Owing to this alarming situation, our education outreach team came up with the innovative and enlightening idea of #3PlasticsADay.
Realizing the fact that this can’t be a one-person job but a collective responsibility, the idea behind this campaign was to make people aware of this extremely devastating state and to diminish the use of plastic as well as its improper disposal into the ocean. The initiative is shared through our education programme with schools when they visit for field trips to the Centre as well as at our turtle release events and pretty much any opportunity we get to involve school aged children.
Our turtle release programme for school students helps them better understand the seriousness of the issue and their responsibility towards the marine creatures. Taking this opportunity, our Education Programmes Officer, Shona McGill, educates students about the dangers of plastic on turtles in the wild and motivates them to take a plastic pledge - a promise to pick at least three pieces of plastics a day and put them in the trash. The plastic pieces could be anything from straws to bottle caps that turtles might confuse with food.
Source link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/all-the-power-to-our-battalion-of-young-turtle-rangers/
Cayman Turtle Centre’s core mission is to conserve sea turtles, and a part of our conservation efforts includes taking captive bred turtles, and releasing them into the wild.
So far we have released more than 32,000 turtles into the waters around the Cayman Islands, a combination of hatchlings and “head-started” turtles a year or more in age. A recent DNA analysis study by the Department of Environment and the Universities of Barcelona and Exeter, funded by the UK’s Darwin Plus initiative, established that many of these have come home to the Cayman Islands to nest. Essentially, what they found was great news, a resounding confirmation of the success of our release programs. They determined that 9 out of 10 nesting green female turtles were related to those released during the 1980s and 1990s from the Turtle Farm, as we were called back in those days. They also discovered that green turtle nest numbers in Grand Cayman each year have risen from just one nest recorded twenty years ago in 1999, to well over two hundred in 2017.
One of our green turtle release programmes is quite unique, called egg translocation and nest implantation. It is a way of introducing captive-bred green turtle eggs into the wild, by replicating, as carefully as possible, a real-life green sea turtle nest on the beaches of Grand Cayman. The eggs are laid on our ‘beach’ at the side of the Breeding Pond at our Centre, a sea-water lagoon where all of our big breeding turtles live. These eggs have been carefully collected from our beach on the night they were laid, placed in an incubation box, and then incubated for nearly two months in our Hatchery.
Source link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/egg-translocation-and-nest-implantation-a-green-turtle-release-programme/
Cayman Turtle Centre staff nominated for the Cayman Islands Tourism Association’s Stingray Awards and shortlisted for the Governor’s Conservation Award.
Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter is pleased to announce that three of its staff has been nominated for the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) awards. Tim Adam, the Centre’s Chief Executive Officer, has been nominated in the ‘Manager for Allied & Transportation’ category, while Rebecca Bush has been nominated for ‘Employee’ in the same category, and Shona McGill has been nominated in the ‘Rising Star’ category.
The awards recognize individuals who have contributed significantly in their roles, as well as the Cayman Islands tourism industry in general.
Source link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/our-staff-nominated-for-cita-stingray-awards-shortlisted-for-governors-conservation-award/
In 2018 Edward Todd said farewell to a 13-year teaching career at John Gray High for some well deserved personal time.
But it seems being thousands of miles away from the classrooms isn’t enough to dull his passion for educating.
As he gets set to embark on the Mongolian Rally, Mr. Todd is using the opportunity to bring about awareness for several charities and initiatives in Cayman.
Heading up Team Turtle in the Mongolian Rally, Mr. Todd told Cayman 27 he is using the chance to raise awareness about turtle conversation efforts here in Cayman.
He said, “Cayman is my second home, and because of that, I decided to actually make the connection with the Cayman Islands with the name of ‘Team Turtle’.”
He adds, “Also by calling it Team Turtle, we are able to raise awareness of conservation work done by the Cayman Turtle Centre.”
Those at Cayman Turtle Centre (CTC) said Mr. Todd has their seal of approval.
“Absolutely, because one of the most important things that we do here at the Cayman Turtle Centre is conservation and education and raising awareness about saving the turtles,” said Renee Howell, Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer at the CTC.
Five contestants for the Cayman Islands Miss Teen Pageant, Angelina Brown, Amelia Lamie, Ashley Gooden, Save Parchment and Jada Brown visited Cayman Turtle Centre as part of their tour of the Cayman Islands. Ms. Stephanie Scott, Chairperson of the Miss Teen Committee explained the purpose of the tour: “Today the young ladies are on their Cultural Tour; because part of being Miss Teen means that you have to have an understanding about your country and what your country offers, because you are an ambassador for your country.”
The contestants had already seen several other interesting places, including Pedro St. James. As soon as they arrived, they were welcomed by expert tour guide, Joseph Betty, who began at the Breeder Pond, where all the big turtles are kept. They all took their photos there, before moving on to see Smiley, the hybrid crocodile. Next, Mr. Betty took them all to see the Kemp’s Ridley turtles, which are actually the rarest turtles in the world, before everyone had the opportunity to hold some young turtles at the Touch Tanks. It was a great photo-op!
Afterwards, Ashley Gooden said: “I was a bit scared of taking the turtle out of the water but it was a nice experience because I’ve never held a turtle before.” At the Caribbean Free Flight Aviary, each of the ladies got the chance to hand-feed some of the beautiful birds such as the bright yellow bananaquits or the graceful Scarlet Ibis, with the Aviary’s William Chisholm telling them all about the birds and exactly how they feed in the wild. Angelina Brown said: “Today is a very great day, I’ve learnt a lot and I’ve had a lot of new experiences and I’m really enjoying it. What I liked best was finding out all the things that I didn’t know before.”
Everyone enjoyed a lovely lunch at Schooners Bar & Grill before going home.
Source link : https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/miss-teen-pageants-contestants-explore-and-learn-about-our-centre/
Thousands of students, from preschool, right through to college-age students, visit Cayman Turtle Centre every year as part of the Centre's Education Programme. "Seeing and experiencing the things that students learn about in the classroom makes education come alive," said the Centre's dedicated Education Programmes Officer Shona McGill.
The Centre works closely with schools to include turtles and wildlife topics in their curriculum. Geddes Hislop, Curator of Terrestrial Exhibits and Education Programmes, and Shona McGill are both experienced and skilful educators with the gift of turning lessons at the Centre into unforgettable, life-changing experiences. Taking this approach will help the children value Cayman's natural heritage when they get older and teach their children to do the same. Different themes and concepts are explored during the education sessions at the Centre; everything from how fins on fishes or wings on birds adapt them to their environment, to how protecting the marine environment helps to keep the whole planet healthy.
Source Link: https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/educating-people-about-turtles-and-wildlife-builds-empathy-and-caring/
Recently, as part of the traditional Pirates Week Turtle Release, Cayman Turtle Centre organised an essay competition for high school-age children coupled with a poster competition for primary school-age children. Both competitions required original essays or posters with the title, "The Green Sea Turtle, Our National Treasure." The two winners from each of the categories named and escorted their own turtle down to the water's edge, where it started a new life beneath the waves, at Governors Beach. The Annual Pirates Week release was on November 10, 2019, where twenty turtles released in the wild.
Congratulations to Enzo Subiotto from Year 7, Class HP in Cayman Prep and High School, for completing one of the winning essays in the competition. Enzo made some excellent points. "We need to help bring back the population of sea turtles in the Cayman Islands as they were in the 1500s," he wrote.
Congratulations also to Sasha Parchman from Layman E. Scott High School in Cayman Brac. Her essay made some very important points about why the Green Sea Turtle is such a treasure. She included the turtle's vital role as a keystone species, as it eats the filamentous algae known as Turtle Grass, keeping it a healthy home for many other sea creatures. She called her turtle "Neptune." Cayman Airways supported the Turtle Release by providing Sasha with round trip air to make it to the event on November 10th, 2019, in Grand Cayman.
Source Link: https://www.turtle.ky/about-us/blog/students-participated-in-essay-and-poster-competition/
Cayman Islands’ premier tourism attraction where visitors and residents enjoy a world-class experience, showcasing Caymanian wildlife and heritage while hosting internationally renowned research an...
