Stop Catching Wild Turtles for Turtle Races

Turtles are dying off at an alarming pace under terrible pressure from habitat loss, road kill and other threats. But one of those threats could prove fairly simple to tackle: turtle races. Annual turtle races strain native turtle populations every year -- thousands of turtles are removed from the wild and raced at turtle races held in small towns across the country.

It’s easy to believe little harm is done when turtles are caught then released back into the wild after the races, but these races can expose turtles to deadly diseases. Those diseases spread to wild populations when the turtles are released.

Many of the threats native turtles face are difficult problems to solve -- but turtle races have an easy fix. Just stop using turtles caught in the wild.

Please take action now: Sign the petition and ask communities to stop using wild-caught turtles in their turtle races.