One of the most important elements of protecting wildlife, especially endangered wildlife, is keeping your distance and respecting their space. Unfortunately, people don't always abide by that rule, like a number of tourists in Maui recently.
On the r/MauiVisitors subreddit, a person shared that people were ignoring a rope on the beach meant to discourage people from directly interacting with the sea turtles in the water.
"Soooo just going past the rope and disturbing the sea turtles is a thing now or…." they wrote in their caption, calling out the people ignoring the rules.
The waters around the islands of Hawai'i are home to a variety of sea turtles, including the green sea turtle (or Honu in Hawaiian), which are most commonly seen near reefs and beaches. All five species native to the area are protected by the Endangered Species Act and additional laws from the state of Hawai'i. Harassing the turtles can result in fines of up to $100,000, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Green sea turtles have seen a steady population increase in recent years, but they still face threats from humans through unnecessary interaction, habitat destruction, and commercial fishing. Even baby turtles are at risk, as their journey from nests on the beach to the ocean becomes threatened by urbanization, like light levels confusing them or general loss of beach space per the University of California, Santa Cruz.
People in the comments were furious over the tourists' ignorance in protecting the sea turtles.
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"Just visited a couple weeks ago and saw three sea turtles! Made sure to tell the people around me the legal distance. I can't believe some people are so inconsiderate," one person wrote, noting that 10 feet is the recommended distance for sea turtles.
"I'm a frequent visitor and protector. You wouldn't believe how many people touch the turtles. People just don't pay attention, really frustrating," another said.
Another person shared a lovely but respectful encounter they had, saying, "Watching them come ashore was truly a magical and majestic experience. I just wish my fellow tourists would show the respect they should around these amazing creatures."
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