Turtle attraction dropping ‘Farm’ from name
(CNS): There are no plans at the Cayman Turtle Farm to stop butchering and selling the meat from the animals that are bred in captivity there but the management has revealed that they are dropping the word ‘farm’ from the name. This is yet another re-branding of the controversial facility, which continues to suck in an enormous subsidy from the public purse and has been at the centre of an international animal rights campaign to transition it to a turtle conservation centre. In a release last week, officials from the facility said it was changing the name to “better reflect the fundamental mission and impact”.
Although the farming of turtle meat is the main reason for the existence of the facility, in order to try and prevent people from poaching turtles in the wild, the officials stated that the Cayman Turtle Farm: Island Wildlife Encounter is “evolving its name” to Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter.
The facility has had a rough road in recent years, unable to meet its operating costs without a government subsidy and facing some high profile concerns over the deaths of hundreds of the animals through poor husbandry, including an incident where a tank of turtles cooked to death in the sun when a tank ran dry, as well as findings of disease, cannibalism, and birth defects among the 8,000 animals kept there to supply the meat trade.
The CTF suspended the annual release of turtles until last year due to the concerns that the farmed turtles could introduce disease into the wild turtle population.
Announcing the name change, officials said the facility itself would not be changing. “It will be the same popular tourist attraction as before, and will continue to serve schools, conserve turtles, and collaborate with other research establishments,” the facility stated.
But the meat will now be sold under the separate brand called “Cayman Turtle Products”, which, management said, would continue to serve the needs of the community by providing the only legal source of farmed turtle meat in the Cayman Islands.
Even though the number of turtles released over the last decade has been limited and the conditions the animals are kept in remains a concern, the farm still insists that conservation is at the heart of its operations.
“Since that time the turtle farm has undergone many changes, but turtle conservation has always remained a central purpose,” the release said. It further noted that since it opened in the late sixties, the farm has released well over 31,000 farm-bred turtles into the wild. While that figure has not been matched by any other turtle conservation organisation, the bulk of those turtles were released in the earlier days of the facilities history.
Management said that over quarter of a million visitors come to the attraction every year and it remains the most popular land attraction in Cayman, but it is still struggling to cover operating costs. The farm does, however, provide locals with jobs as it has a 95% local employment rate, one of the highest in the tourist sector.
Looking to the future, officials said that over the “next half-century”, the facility will be “expanding in scope and positive impact more than ever before, not only in its role in conservation and research on the region’s valuable and precious wildlife, but also a haven for anybody who would like to have a life-changing personal encounter with them”.
Category: Local News
Who cares what they name it. It was a bad Maceeva lead idea to build such a facility, when all we need is a farm, for those of us that eat it and refuse to poach. Separate the two, or close the attraction. As for those that think it is “vile” or in “inhumane” your opinion means nothing as you are water under the bridge.
I think this glaring attempt to lure tourists ignorant of the horrific slaughter of these endangered creatures will backfire. Once people turn up and realise that it is a badly kept farm the complaints about the place will increase.
Apparently the Government is so ashamed of the eating of turtle it has to change the name of the farm. I think the Nazis did a similar thing with their death camps too.
Her Majesty’s Turtle Prison?
I think we need this attraction, but we certainly do not need the bloated staff budget. If this were private sector you would not see the waste.
I DON’T think we need this attraction, and we certainly do not need the bloated staff budget. If this were private sector you would not see the waste.
Why has there never been any accounting for the millions of dollars that goes in the pockets of people associated with the “operations” there?
Well I see another change is being made to try and justify the existence of the Cayman Culture.
Why do people come to our shores and try to tell is what to do? I am quite sure no one from the beloved isle leaves here and go to any country in the world and protest their culture.
I honestly belive that the people in Cayman need to stand up to the hypocrites that come here and dictate to the people of these island what they should do. They should first check their country for cruelty to animals which are consumed for food than come to our shores talking about cruelty.
I am quite sure that the turtle farm isn’t the first facility in world that had loses in captivity. Turtle meat is a source of good for the great Caymanian poplulation.
I also saw a census which I found to be very inaccurate. Has anyone been to any of the heritage days and noticed that the first thing to be sold out is no other than “turtle stew”. It is imperative that we stand up together and preserve our heritage.
Baloney! You wouldn’t know heritage if it bit you in the arse.
Cayman Culture? Haven’t we just had a great example of that in the recent RCIPS cover up of child abuse? The problem is that most of what people here regard as ‘culture’ is what the rest of the world consigned to the nastier pages of history long ago.
So, let me get this straight, applying euphemisms is going to make the difference here?
Soft sweet language is making life better for the turtles?
This cover up is probably going to make things worse rather than better as that is usually the purpose of a euphemism in the first place. Sounds better, ends up worse!
Typical!
Good job kids, keep up the cruelty instead of doing something that would make real sense as was proposed with the then WSPA now called WAP (World Animal Protection).
It has also been proven time and time over again that this “Cayman Turtle Centre” has no viable way of ever being solvent, it takes too many people to run this place and yet apparently not enough to detect diseases and cannibalism among the turtles as shown in previous reports.
Makes you wonder: Does anybody really care?
Stop paying the high level employee’s people those very high wages, just to lose millions each year, cut their wages by 40 percent and the turtle farm will not lose so much money
50% would be better.
“Life changing personal encounter…”: life changing for the turtle, that’s for sure.
Shut it down.
turtle farm sums up everything wrong with cayman…..overpriced, loss making, backward, inhumane, disturbing, embarressing……
you are fooling nobody. close this vile facility down. boycott the turtle farm.
I still haven’t gone.
Whatever they call it the facility is costing the tax payer too much annually and exists to employ political buddies. It is Cayman’s white elephant that was destined to fail from day one.
Maybe they could start selling inguana meat as well , Ive heard its as good as turlte but they seem to cost the public purse as much or more
Covering up the truth to sell more tickets to tourists.
“Stewie’s Place” has a much better ring to it.
They’re taking this thing in the wrong direction. People don’t want to see turtles crammed into overpopulated concrete tanks. Look what’s happening with sea world’s Orca’s for example, peoples views on captive animals are changing. Run the farm as a farm/research facility and drop this nonsense wildlife encounter crap.
If you want to encounter some actual marine wildlife in the wild, try giving snorkeling a go.