Cayman Turtle Farm Question

Has anyone recently been to the Cayman Turtle Farm? My son has loved turtles, I mean truly adores turtles, for the longest time. As soon as we spotted this farm as an option he wanted to go. He would rather swim with turtles than dolphins or stingrays.

I have been reading all about the farm, reviews etc. That is when I get a little concerned. Many have stated that the turtles are awesome. Of course :) However, I have also read a lot of reviews that state there is no one around to talk about the program or turtles, it is more just a self guided walk around. Then I stumbled across a blog (I believe) and the blogger states that he discovered that 60% of the turtles are raised for island food. ACKKK!!!!!

Obviously my son knows there is turtle soup and sad stories we see on SPCA and WWF commercials but I am wondering if this "destination" for many of the turtles is right there for all to see. You know - "coming soon to a restaurant near you"

I don't want to deny him the opportunity to see these great creatures but I don't want to subject him to something he would rather not see.

Anyone recently been that could set my concerns at ease?

Yes, the turtles are raised for food. There is a reason it is called the Turtle Farm. I've done some back-of-the-envelope calculations a few years ago that indicate much more than 60% of the turtles are destined for the dinner plate.

IIRC they serve at least one or two turtle dishes at the Schooners Bar & Grill at the farm - at least Turtle Soup. But it is not as if there is a big sign saying "Today's Turtle in the soup was raised right over there with an arrow pointed to the turtle tanks".

As to a tour guide... think of it like a zoo. You rarely see zookeepers standing around the exhibits to tell you about the animals. Same thing at the TF. But some tour guides do go in the park with the tourists and provide some information. Mostly these are the guides running the tours sold at the dock.

would you take him to a cattle farm to play cowboy?

a chicken farm to play with the chicks?

a fish farm to feed the fishies?

we, the US (and maybe PETA) have made turtles "special" but truth is they were and are a meat staple for islanders and in days past: mariners . . . that's how they became endangered . . . over caught ... like MANY species. Being big and slow they were easy targets. Ever heard of a Buffalo?

the US will not bend the rules to recognize "farm raised" sea turtle. Farm raised bison .... no problem altho it is a protected species ... 'farm raised' .. but what about farm raised turtle ...

Imagine if there were no beef ranches/farms .... no fish farms .... no chicken farms.

Could the US be sustained on true "free range"?

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we enjoyed turtle cordon bleu on thanksgiving one Cayman and it was WONDERFUL . . .

meat came from the turtle FARM

Dogs are often served as food in China. Should I visit China I would not want to visit caged dogs awaiting their demise, even if us humans decide to have them preform a few tricks for our own enjoyment. I am a dog rescuer, but I am also a realist. Bad things happen to all animals. People want to eat turtles please do.

All I am asking is if it is evident that the turtles are used as a food source? In your face kind of idea? I would think not as I am certain many small children visit and many would be horrified if they knew that cute turtle is tomorrow's soup du jour.

It's set up like a smaller Sea World or other marine park. Check out their website, there's lots of descriptions and pics, and the vibe is very conservation rather than consumption. Other than exposing them to online chatter on boards like this, a kid would be hard pressed to discover the "these are going to be food" aspect on their own. http://www.turtle.ky

It's set up like a smaller Sea World or other marine park. Check out their website, there's lots of descriptions and pics, and the vibe is very conservation rather than consumption. Other than exposing them to online chatter on boards like this, a kid would be hard pressed to discover the "these are going to be food" aspect on their own. http://www.turtle.ky

Thank you.

I did have a look at the website prior to posting this thread. We also decided to speak to our son about the purposes of the turtle farm and he stated that he would still like to go.

I appreciate the input!

you have it in good perspective

you will not see a 'slaughtering house' or anything like that. Like cattle in a yard, you'll see turtles in a pool.

I just don't like when people go to the 'farm' and believe that all the animals are released ....NOT nearly so.

If you later visit the Paradise Café for a bite .... there is a turtle burger on the menu . . .

No, you'll not see anything that would lead you to believe people will be eating these turtles. They have a small wading pool (knee deep) that you can get into and hold a baby turtle, you can also hold some of the bigger turtles. I wouldn't recommend doing the full park, as I didn't find it worth it. The pool to "snorkel" with turtles, is disappointing. If you can, do both stingray city, and the front of the turtle farm park.

It's set up like a smaller Sea World or other marine park. Check out their website, there's lots of descriptions and pics, and the vibe is very conservation rather than consumption. Other than exposing them to online chatter on boards like this, a kid would be hard pressed to discover the "these are going to be food" aspect on their own. http://www.turtle.ky

According to the above website's FAQ:

How many turtles has the farm actually released into the ocean?

31,018

When you visit the website, you don't (or at least I didn't) get the idea that the majority of these turtles are raised for consumption.

I felt it was more about conservancy.

I wonder if other believed more of this to be true as well, which is why they no longer serve turtle food items in the park. ??

With as much flak as places like Sea World gets these days from animal rights activists, I am surprised that more places like these farms don't see picketers or such.

This is the Mission Statement from their own website:

Mission Statement

To be the Cayman Islands’ premier tourism attraction where visitors and residents enjoy a world class experience, showcasing Caymanian wildlife and heritage while hosting an internationally renowned research and conservation centre for sea turtles.

My point of starting this thread, was that after visiting their website and seeing this excursion as an option on our cruise, personally would not have realized that these turtles are raised for food (without reading more on Cruise Critic)

If I would have been surprised upon arriving, I just wanted to be certain there was nothing blatantly obvious that would showcase to our kids these turtles are use for food.

When we visited the farm "years ago" we were given a tour, during which it was mentioned that most of the turtles were raised for food. It was not something blatantly touted, but more along the line of "this is what we really do here, just to be clear"

Some turtles are released to the wild, we actually adopted 2 turtles, paid a fee, got souvenir adoption papers, and were told the fee we paid funded the release of 2 turtles into the wild.

Take the family, it is an interesting and informative experience. Remember it's a turtle farm, just like a cattle farm, chicken farm, or fish farm, but they do also help with the conservation aspect. HAVE FUN

Thanks.

We are going to go. We have told the kids up front and they both would still like to go.

Thank you.

 

I did have a look at the website prior to posting this thread. We also decided to speak to our son about the purposes of the turtle farm and he stated that he would still like to go.

 

I appreciate the input!

I love sea turtles also. I think they opened this place to help the wild turtles by providing help to injured ones, and raising others for consumption. I'd go.

No, you'll not see anything that would lead you to believe people will be eating these turtles. They have a small wading pool (knee deep) that you can get into and hold a baby turtle, you can also hold some of the bigger turtles. I wouldn't recommend doing the full park, as I didn't find it worth it. The pool to "snorkel" with turtles, is disappointing. If you can, do both stingray city, and the front of the turtle farm park.

I was interested in the full park just to go to the water slide. Did your family do that?

I was interested in the full park just to go to the water slide. Did your family do that?

We did do the waterslide. At the time, my son was four, and got a mouth full of water when he went down the slide the first time, and refused to do it again. I went down it once, and was ok to leave. I wouldn't ever pay to do the full park again. I love the front of the farm, though, and we do go every year to see the turtles, when we stay at our timeshare.

Thanks.

 

We are going to go. We have told the kids up front and they both would still like to go.

Are you doing this through the cruise ship or on your own? If on your own, would you come back and let us know cab fare, ease, and how you liked it? Thanks

Are you doing this through the cruise ship or on your own? If on your own, would you come back and let us know cab fare, ease, and how you liked it? Thanks

I have not booked anything yet, but I am pretty certain we will get there on our own. Possibly a taxi, maybe a rental car...still deciding.

I will let you know :)

Are you doing this through the cruise ship or on your own? If on your own, would you come back and let us know cab fare, ease, and how you liked it? Thanks

We did the turtle farm on our own, and used the local bus. The buses are vans, and the bus station is next to the public library within easy walking distance from port. Bus fare was $2.50 (US) pp/each way. The bus makes stops along the way. Just aske the driver to let you know when to get off. The driver will also tell you where to get the bus for the return ride back. Took us about 30 minutes walk/ride to turtle farm.

We did the turtle farm on our own, and used the local bus. The buses are vans, and the bus station is next to the public library within easy walking distance from port. Bus fare was $2.50 (US) pp/each way. The bus makes stops along the way. Just aske the driver to let you know when to get off. The driver will also tell you where to get the bus for the return ride back. Took us about 30 minutes walk/ride to turtle farm.

Do you recall waiting long for a return bus/taxi? I am also wondering if the driver will take you other places you might want to visit, say to Hell or Seven Mile Beach after leaving the Turtle Farm?

Did you happen to notice if the dolphin place 'across the street' is in fact right across the street?

When you get off the cruise ship, I know there are a lot of vendors standing around offering tours. Can you catch a taxi right there - or do you have to catch a taxi some place else?

Or, is it best to walk to the buses by the library?

I am also wondering if it is easy to get a ride back by taxi/bus?

...

Did you happen to notice if the dolphin place 'across the street' is in fact right across the street?

Dolphin Discovery is directly across the street from a part of the Turtle Farm that has growth tanks which are not open to the public. Directly across the street from the tourist section of the Turtle Farm is the TF's parking lot, with Dolphin Discovery right next to that - near enough as makes no difference.