The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has long
smelled something fishy about the operation of the Cayman Turtle
Farm, one of Grand Cayman’s premiere tourist attractions. The
Cayman Turtle Farm is billed as a conservation facility,
dedicated to breeding and researching endangered sea turtles,
whose once-plentiful populations were severely depleted through
the 19th century by commercial hunting and for mere survival by
many of the Cayman Islands’ inhabitants. In 1968, a group of
American and British investors attained licensing from the
government of the Cayman Islands to begin the first commercial
enterprise to domesticate green sea turtles, naming it the
Cayman Turtle Farm. However, protection regulations established
for the reptile prohibited the sale of turtle products in the
US, thus decreasing the commercial value of the farm. The
facility went under twice before it was purchased by the Cayman
Islands government, who remain the owners and operators of the
farm today. The Cayman Turtle Far