Think Mom's the Best? Share Her With a Sea Turtle

A Mother's Day card for contributors who adopt a sea turtle in their mom's name. Image via WWF-Türkiye

"My Dear Mother, I felt that this sea turtle also needed a mother as extraordinary as you, so I have adopted him in your name. From now on, he will swim in safe water..."So reads the beginning of the Mother's Day card prepared by WWF-Turkey to draw new contributors to its adopt-a-sea-turtle campaign. So far, a total of 3,500 people have donated 10 Turkish Liras each to the effort to protect the endangered sea turtles that come every year to lay their eggs in the Akyatan and Çıralı areas of Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Akyatan, a 15,304-hectacre area comprising a lagoon, forest, and sand dunes, is one of the country's 17 officially recognized nesting spots for sea turtles and has had protected status as a wildlife refuge since 1987. Says the organization:

The Akyatan lagoon on Turkey's Mediterranean coast is one of the most important green turtle nesting beaches in the region and is a major wintering site for migrating birds. The area also hosts a wide range of animals such as the golden jackal, which is a major threat to the turtles as it goes after their eggs. But although the beach is relatively remote, it suffers from pollution. WWF is monitoring the turtle's nesting sites along the 22km-long Akyatan beach and working with local government authorities to improve marine turtle conservation.

WWF-Turkey's activities in the Akyatan area include counting and monitoring nest sites, evaluating the effect of anti-predator measures, and educational work with local villagers, with an appropriate-for-today's-holiday focus on women and children. The group says that thanks to its efforts, "58,000 hatchlings (94% of which are green turtles and the remaining loggerhead turtles) have successfully reached the sea."

The Mother's Day component of the campaign was advertised under the slogan, "This Mother's Day, Give Your Mother the Gift of the Living World." That's a lot nicer than slimming gel. Via: "3,500 endangered sea turtles adopted in WWF campaign," Today's ZamanMore about sea turtles:What You Can Do to Protect Sea TurtlesPlastic Found in 1/3 of Leatherback Turtles, According to StudyAn Instance When Man-Made Fibers Help a Sea Turtle OutSick Turtle Checks Self Into HospitalUS Turtles Being Unsustainably Harvested for Asian CuisineSea Turtle Cam Reveals Surprising Food Choice (Video)Endangered Sea Turtles Face Death by a Thousand HooksThousands of Sea Turtles Dead in BajaCuba Bans Turtle Hunt to Protect SpeciesCircle Hooks Save Turtles in Latin AmericaTurtle-Oriented Eco-Tourism Springs Up in Central AmericaThe Great Turtle RaceMexico: Sexy Sea Turtle Preservation Campaign