I am proud to be a turtle.

We were having a serious meeting this morning because it was the question of our survival and we don’t know what is stored there for us tomorrow! We, the seven species of sea turtles, are already on the brink of extinction and hence declared as endangered species.

The seven different endangered species of us are ‘Flat back Turtle’, ‘Hawksbill Turtle’, ‘Green Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Kemp’s Ridley Turtle and Leatherback Turtle! Survival of some of them is just accidental, but with the help of turtle conservators, we hope the number will improve.

I am a 45 years old female leatherback turtle. Right now, I am on my way to the sea-beach where I can lay my clutch in a nest. I have to dig up the sand first and then engage myself for the laying. A tedious job, but who cares?

Some human beings keep on watching us constantly. But I hate being watched by someone when I am on the nesting spree. I have to be careful and remember that human beings can kill us cruelly.

Today I survived narrowly from getting caught in a crab trap in the high sea. But I have lost quite a few of my very close friends. I don’t know where they have been taken! Oh God, please protect them!

Human beings have greedy guts and are omnivorous. They cook us up with flavored spices and relish with great pleasure. I have seen them in the cookery shows aired in the television. Don’t get surprised. Once I was kept as a pet by a young man and in his house where I saw television while basking on the in-built area inside the terrapinarium.

That man was very kind to me but after a few months, when I started loving his presence, suddenly one day, he let me go into the deep sea. I was very much scared at first, but gradually I found my under-water friends of similar mental frequencies which greatly reduced my worries.

But you know, the fear of death is always there. Our eggs and hatching are eaten up by foxes, crabs, crows, raccoons or other predators. Water pollution, destruction of our habitats, disease, using our eggs to make Chinese traditional medicines, concrete constructions on the beaches, being crushed under the speeding vehicles etc. are a few more factors pushing us towards extinction.

I herewith implore, dear human beings and other predators, “Please save us”

For more information about turtle conservation and care visit: Endangered Turtles.