While you may have heard of the age-old tradition that many Americans partake in every year – heading out into the forest on Thanksgiving Day to hunt a wild turkey – you may be less familiar with a similar practice that happens just south of the United States in Central America. Except instead of a wild turkey, it’s the Central American River Turtle. And instead of heading out on foot, hunters require a chartered plane to reach the remote wetlands where the turtles live. But the end result is the same: a holiday meal featuring a culturally symbolic animal. Though it may be hard for you to imagine eating a giant turtle, it happens all over the world – and unfortunately for turtles – at an alarming rate.

Continue reading “Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: Unlikely Victims”