EAP2 WW- Summary Response #2

Yen-Jung Chen (Chen)

EAP2 WW- Summary Response #2

October 28, 2008

Thousands of Olive Ridley massacred again

In the author’s (2008) article, “Thousands of Olive Ridley massacred again,” he states that more and more Olive Ridley Turtle are killed in India. The Orissa coast is the place for turtle breeding but it’s not safe anymore. At least 8,000 turtle’s dead bodies have been found at the beach, and that is not including other coasts in India. The biggest reason is people use mechanized trawlers. Trawlers will kill turtles even though some turtles are lucky, and they can get away from trawlers. But they will die very soon, because they get serious damage in the process. India government has created some ways to settle these problems, but they don’t work. For instance, government states that if people who kill or sell turtles are found, they have to go to jail. But so far no one has been arrested. And then turtle’s dead bodies are still found at the beach. As a result, turtles are going to move towards extinction soon.

After reading this article, I think protection and slaughter can be balanced. In India most people are poor. Turtles can bring wealth for Indians because turtles have very high value of turtlebacks. No one wants to live in poverty and the one way to earn money is to sell turtles. And I think government can use different ways to solve these problems, not just forbiddance. And I also believe in survival of the fittest, the way species survive. I don’t think protection is always right; if people want to live, then people have to lose some species.

First, people should be able to kill turtles alarm appropriate range. In India people are poor; they need to sell turtles to support their life. Human’s life is more important than turtle’s. It doesn’t mean turtle’s life is not important, but if killing turtles can save a hundred or more people’s lives, why don’t people do that? Protecting turtles is important, but protecting poor people is more important. And turtles are very useful; some part of a turtle’s body can be medicine. This way can bring wealth to poor people and also can save people’s life. And we can control turtle’s amount at necessary range. Turtles won’t be extinct because our technology can breed turtles. Therefore, killing turtles is possible in a controllable range.

Second, the Indian government cannot just forbid killing. Protecting turtles is good, but the government has to think of the situation of the country before. If people are poor, they don’t have the ability to protect turtles. And the government is just like a clown; nobody will follow the rules. What the government should do is figure out the economic part of turtles for people’s lives. Don’t just save turtles, save people. Government can make a number of turtles that people can kill. Then government doesn’t have to worry about whether people kill too many turtles. That is because people accept that any number of turtles to kill is better than none. And government also can ask people to protect turtles’ eggs at the beach. Protective movements should be step by step. They should use the way people can easily understand and follow. It will make the success rate of turtle protection higher.

Third, turtle’s death is not all human’s fault. Nature goes its own way. Turtles die will be recycled as new born. If humans push the word progress, the environment will be somewhat destroyed. It is inevitable. The weak are the prey of the strong. People want world improvement. For this reason, some species will be extinct. But new species will be born and adapt to the environment. Dinosaurs die because they cannot adapt to the climate. That is the same reason as the turtles. Turtles cannot adapt to the environment, so they will die. Therefore, people are not the slaughterers of turtles.

In conclusion, people can protect turtles if they have the ability. Humans have high technology, so people can try their best to protect turtles. Protective movement is a personal choice. People cannot force someone to protect turtles. But government can establish laws to make the protective group or movement have more resources and power. Try to use the way people can really adapt and help. For example, limit the amount of turtles that people can catch and arrest people who catch over that amount. Use some real examples to make people understand that catching too many turtles not only hurts turtles, but also hurts them. People can affect people and then more and more people will care about turtles. As a result, more and more turtles will be protected.

Reference

Thousands of Olive Ridley massacred again. (2008, October 29). IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU Secretariat. Retrieved October 29, 2008, from http://www. ioseaturtles.org/headline_detail.php?id=872. ioseaturtles.org/headline_detail.php?id=872