The Kemp’s Ridley isn’t just the world’s smallest sea turtle; it’s also the most endangered. If we don’t act now to protect its habitat, soon the little turtles could be gone forever.
The Kemp’s Ridley is the smallest, rarest turtle on the planet. Thanks to destructive fishing, oil drilling, and poaching, this tiny turtle is disappearing. Ask the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Kemp’s Ridley habitat from further devastation!
Adult Kemp’s turtles primarily occupy “neritic” habitats stretching from the Yucatán Peninsula to southern Florida. Neritic zones typically contain muddy or sandy bottoms where the turtles’ prey lives. But when fishing companies drag heavy gear along the bottom of the seabed, those neritic zones are systematically demolished — leaving the Kemp’s turtles with nowhere to find food.
Oil spills are also putting the Kemp’s Ridley at risk. After the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, their habitat was flooded with slick, lethal oil, which damaged their eyes, airways and lungs. It also contaminated the crabs the turtles eat, making them ill — sometimes fatally — for months afterward.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has to take action to save the Gulf of Mexico from these harmful practices before the turtles are gone forever. Please sign the petition to demand protection for the Kemp’s Ridley turtle!
You can sign the Care2 petition here