World Turtle Day

World Turtle Day has been sponsored by the American Tortoise Rescue, a non-profit organisation established in 1990 for the protection of all species of tortoises and turtles since 2000. The World Turtle Day was initiated an annual observance on May 23 for people to celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their endangered habitats. The objective of World Turtle Day is to raise awareness and increase knowledge of and respect for turtles and tortoises as well as to encourage human actions to help them to survive and thrive. World Turtle Day is dedicated to celebrating and protecting both turtles and tortoises but it is important to know that there are differences between turtles and tortoises. The most distinct difference between the two is that turtles live in the water some or nearly all the time while tortoises dwell on land. The World Turtle Day recognises that some turtle and tortoise species are suffering and are almost at the edge of extinction due to environmental hazards and issues pertaining to hunting and harvesting of their eggs.