Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

There are seven species of marine turtle.  The IUCN¹ Red List, which lists all rare species, classes green, loggerhead and olive ridley as ‘endangered’, which means each of these ‘faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future’. Hawksbill, leatherback and kemps ridley turtles are listed as ‘critically endangered’, which means these species each ‘face an extremely high risk of extinction’.  The status of the flatback turtle has not been decided.  Born Free is taking action to protect five species of turtles in the Indian Ocean. 

The green turtle has been heavily exploited for turtle soup, while the beautiful shell of the hawksbill was extensively used for ‘tortoiseshell’ products.  The leatherback can mistake floating plastic bags as jellyfish and starve when their stomachs become full of plastic. 

¹International Union for Conservation of Nature

CITES STATUS:

All species of marine turtle - Appendix I