With everything going on in the world today, we could certainly use even a small reminder that there is still some good left out there, and this was the perfect story to serve as just that.
An old Facebook post from 2015 shows two beautiful sea turtles in Papua New Guinea getting a new lease on life thanks to one man’s kindness, compassion, and pocket money.
The two animals from a species that is already critically endangered were facing down what was certain to be a cruel and untimely death at a food market in Papua New Guinea. But Arron Culling and one of his co-workers happened to stumble across the turtles and for less than 40 U.S. dollars saved the animals’ lives and returned them home to the ocean where they belong.
Aaron later shared photos of his brave, impromptu rescue mission on his social media:
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“[F]ound these at the local market,” Culling’s Facebook post read, “got them for 50 bucks drove 5km up the road and let them go.”
But it gets even better still. According to Aaron, this isn’t the first brave sea turtle rescue he’s managed to pull off. Apparently, Culling and his coworker had bought and released around 10 sea turtles as of 2015.
Despite the fact that six out of seven of the worlds’ sea turtle populations are critically endangered or at least vulnerable, commercial marine turtle fishing remains legal in many parts of the globe, including Papua New Guinea, Australia, and Mexico, where the animals are ultimately harvested for their meat and beautiful shells.
You can visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s website here to learn more about how to keep these magnificent creatures safe and protected.
Originally sourced from The Dodo.
Featured image via RawPixel Public Domain
