Save the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle!

          The construction of waterfront resorts and housing are destroying habitats and birthing grounds that sea turtles depend on for reproduction and survival! In order to help save hundreds of Olive Ridley babies, stop staying in hotels that build on beaches where sea turtles hatch and lay their eggs. Instead, stay in ecolodges, donate towards habitat renewal, and give money to support protecting and releasing hatchlings. You also have an extremely loud and strong voice! Call big hotel companies that build on sea turtle habitats and complain that they are destroying vital ecosystems and are killing sea turtles in the process.

          Species that are introduced to an ecosystem who aren't naturally occuring in that area can catch native species off guard and get killed due to lack of experience with the intruder. You can help prevent the exposure of non-native species by keeping a close watch on your pets and children. If you take your dog on a walk on the beach make sure you watch them and make sure they aren't terrorizing and/or eating baby sea turtles. Also be  aware of where yourself and where you are when at the beach and pay special care to what you do, don’t walk on nests or step on baby sea turtles.

          Population growth means that the growth of a population is at an extremely dangerous rate. Humans are a species that are constantly urbanizing and building, to help out the sea turtles, demand for beach houses are growing as our planet becomes more and more crowded and overpopulated. Before buying land or building houses on beaches, do research on the affect your establishment would have on the ecosystem and its inhabitants.

          Pollution manifests itself in many different forms whether it be air pollution, garbage, or waste. Waste is not only destructive towards humans and our planet, but the Olive Ridley Turtles too! Clean up after yourself and other when at the beach, the amount of trash left on the beach attracts scavengers like raccoons and dogs that like to eat sea turtle eggs or hatchlings. They also leave behind plastics and pesticides that turtles and other animals eat. These plastics get caught in the food chain because once one animal eats it, the animals that preys on that species also eats the plastic because it was in their food already.

          The natural heating of the planet due to an increase of greenhouse gas emissions which pose a threat to our entire planet and every living thing on it. You can help play your part by using appliances that are more efficient because they use renewable energy. By doing this, you can help improve the health of coral reefs all over the world which will in turn help the overall health of sea turtles as well.

          When a species becomes over harvested for commercial reasons they become a huge target for hunters and poachers. This is a huge leading cause towards the endangerment of species like the Olive Ridley because they are harvested for their shell, meat, and eggs. Help protect the Olive Ridley by not supporting any restaurants that serve sea turtle on the menu. When buying clothing or house decor don’t buy any products that were harvested from a dead sea turtle or any animal likewise.