Turtle Adoption Day

Take a hint from the life of a turtle and slow down a bit on this day! Turtles are delightful creatures, many of whom live for many decades. But, sadly, some turtles are not treated very well and are in need of help from some compassionate human beings on Turtle Adoption Day.

History of Turtle Adoption Day

Founded in 2011, Turtle Adoption Day had a bit of a grass roots start when one woman, Christine Shaw, made a blog post about the adoption of turtles. Since then, the day has grown to include more people in more communities all over the globe.

Many different types of turtles, including sea turtles, the radiated tortoise, and the painted terrapin, are at risk or endangered and they need help if their species are going to survive. And various conservation groups are working hard to help them!

Different from World Turtle Day, which is celebrated on May 23 of each year, Turtle Adoption Day focuses more locally on turtles that are in need. 

But Turtle Adoption Day is also about rescuing the turtles locally who need to be adopted as pets. Sometimes people take a turtle home as a pet for a child and then realize it is much more work than expected, so they give it to an animal shelter. These turtles are then placed for adoption by local individuals and families.

Turtle Adoption Day is a reminder that these cute little creatures are in need – and it’s the perfect opportunity to raise awareness for them! 

How to Celebrate Turtle Adoption Day

Consider some of these ideas for observing and celebrating Turtle Adoption Day:

Adopt a Turtle

Turtles can make amazing pets for lots of different people. While they do require love and care, they are in some ways lower maintenance than some other pets. Start by doing some research to find out what kind of needs they have and how they should be taken care of.

Then, if still interested, take the next step by heading over to the local animal rescue shelter to find out what opportunities they might have available for adopting turtles. The staff of the shelter should be willing to help out in determining if one is right. And if there are no turtles available for adoption immediately, it might be possible to get your name on a list for when one does come available.

Make a Donation for Turtle Conservation

Not ready to bring home a turtle as a pet? That’s okay! There are lots of other ways you can get involved with Turtle Adoption Day. For instance, with the understanding that some types of turtles are endangered, particularly sea turtles, consider making a donation to an organization that helps with turtle conservation.

Save the Turtles, Turtle Conservancy, Turtle Foundation and the Turtle Conservation Fund are just a few of the organizations that are working hard to help turtles all over the globe live better lives.