The sea turtle is a symbol of wisdom and maturity. They have sometimes been considered to be a protecting animal and have served as a guide for sailors.
Polynesian Turtles A Foundation and a Clinic
Five species are found in French Polynesia, including the green turtle and hawksbill turtle. Although they have been protected in most countries including French Polynesia since 1990, under the Washington Agreements, they are still endangered. They continue to be hunted for their meat and also get caught in fish park nets.
Most of the turtles in French Polynesia are born at laying sites in the Scilly and Bellinghausen atolls. Here starts their long migration, which can take some twenty years and leads them via Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands etc. They start to lay only from the age of 20 to 25 years and they live an estimated 50 to 70 years.
Two organizations are dedicated to the protection of the species.
The Hibiscus Foundation (1992), based on the island of Taha’a, purchases turtles that have been trapped in fish farm nets. They are usually aged between 3 and 7 and are released after being tagged so they can be surveyed internationally. Over its 14 years of existence, the Hibiscus Foundation has succeeded in saving more than 1,400 turtles.
Secondly, Cécile Gaspar, a veterinary specialist at the Dolphin Center of Moorea, has opened the first Turtle Clinic. Cécile is passionate about the marine world and cares for wounded turtles, brought to her from all the islands…Her goal is to restore them to health, tag then release them. The first turtles were set free in February 2005, a year after the clinic opened. Cécile Gaspar is also the President of the Te Mana and Te Moana Foundation (www.temanaotemoana.org) which works for the protection of the environment.
Perhaps this information will cause you to look with a different eye at one of these majestic creatures, should you be lucky enough to encounter one during your stay…
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