Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the smallest sea turtles and the most critically endangered species of sea turtles. It is believed that only around 7,000 female ridley sea turtles are in existence right now.
Native to the Gulf of Mexico, er, um, the Gulf of America, these turtles exist within the waters of the beaches on the western Gulf south of the United States-Mexico border in Tamaulipas, Mexico, a region frequented by visitors.
Should one of these sea turtles get lost and found elsewhere in need of help, they must be released back in these waters.
Enter Rhossi
Rhossi is a Kemp sea turtle that washed up on the shores of Anglesey in Wales at the end of 2023. The turtle was injured but was slowly nursed back to health thanks to taxpayer money from the United Kingdom. Anglesey Sea Zoo, who is caring for Rhossi, said the turtle is now healthy and ready to be released back into her natural habitat in the waters off the coast of the United States.
Rhossi, We Have a Problem
This endangered sea turtle’s return to the American coastal waters has been interrupted because it is now facing another obstacle in the form of US President Donald Trump. When Trump signed an executive order on day one of his presidency, he put a freeze on foreign aid for a minimum of 3 months. In essence, this resulted in Trump issuing Rhossi a no-go.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), a federal conservation body, was forced to freeze funding for several organizations which included the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. The Fund was a key contact in the plan to return Rhossi to the Gulf of Mexico… Gulf of America.
The owner and director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, Frankie Hobro, is very frustrated. He was quoted as saying:
“Animal species don’t understand politics.”
“They don’t understand boundaries and borders. We thought we had things so they were running quite smoothly. We were going to fine-tune the process for future turtles. It’s very, very frustrating that’s been put on hold now really because of politics and this kind of sweeping decision and the far reaching affect it is having way beyond the states.”
Decades of Goodwill and Conservation Down the Drain
The former head of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Martha Williams, said the impact on conservation projects was “heartbreaking.” She stated that while she didn’t expect the Trump administration to be friendly about conservation, she is surprised at the speed and degree it has undermined decades of goodwill and conservation.
Williams stepped down from her position after 4 years under President Joe Biden when Trump was elected. Martha described the funding cuts for projects like marine turtle conservation as “cruel.” She said, “International work involved so little money, you know in the big scheme of things, small grants with enormous impact – enormous impact to communities.”
Speak Up and Don’t Give Up
With regards to Rhossi, Williams says: “Don’t give up. Speak out – tell the stories, explain why this work is so important, and that it does impact people in a positive way.”
Mr. Hobro said they are looking into other options such as working with Mexico instead of the United States, although as he stated, “That would be a shame, because we’ve got these great relationships with these wonderful whole conservation programs for the species in Texas and the people we’ve been working with.”
Until the way forward is found and Rhossi can return home, the sea turtle will remain at the zoo.