Learn about the reasons for World Turtle Day
World Turtle Day is set on May 23 of every year by the American Tortoise Rescue, an organization that preserves and helps turtles and sea turtles. Because they see the problem of sea turtles that tend to decrease continuously, they want to use the opportunity of World Turtle Day to publicize and provide knowledge about turtles, sea turtle characteristics, and to instill awareness in turtle conservation. One of the reasons for the decrease in the number of sea turtles is plastic waste both on the coast and in the ocean. RHINOSHIELD sees this problem and supports the reduction of plastic with a case that can be recycled 100%.
Why is World Turtle Day set to be May 23 of every year?
Turtles are known as the longest-living animals in the world. Everyone thinks that sea turtles will never become extinct from this world. However, the current situation shows that the sea turtle population is continuously decreasing, which is worrying. I believe that many people are wondering why World Turtle Day must be on May 23 of every year.
RHINOSHIELD will answer all your questions.
The origin of World Turtle Day came from the conservation and rescue organization for turtles and sea turtles (American Tortoise Rescue) founded by Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, Americans in 2000, who saw the problem of the decrease in the number of turtles around the world that was increasing every year. The organization wanted people to pay more attention to this problem. Therefore, it designated May 23 of every year as World Turtle Day in order to use this day to make everyone aware of the problems that are occurring, including creating knowledge about turtles for people around the world. World Turtle Day was first observed on May 23, 2002.
Let's get to know some things about turtles that you may not have known before!
Turtles are animals known for their slow movements and longest lifespan in the world. Everyone has heard and known them through Aesop's fables that have been heard countless times. But who knew that turtles are likely to become extinct? Part of the cause is plastic waste along the shores and floating in the ocean. RHINOSHIELD wants to be a part of helping turtles and the environment, so it supports the reduction of plastic with the Circular Next case.
100% recyclable. In honor of World Turtle Day, RHINOSHIELD is sharing interesting facts about turtles for everyone to learn about together.
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◾ Not all turtles can swim: Not all turtles can swim. For example, land turtles will sink if released into the water because their shells are heavy and they can’t swim. Freshwater turtles can swim but must go on land to rest from swimming. Sea turtles spend most of their lives in the ocean and only go on land when swimming.
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◾ Temperature affects the sex of turtles: The sex of the hatchling turtles is determined by the temperature of the nest. If the temperature is higher than 28-29 degrees Celsius (Pivotal Temperature), the turtle will be female. If the temperature is lower than that, it will be male. Due to the rising global temperature, more female turtles are born than males, which further reduces the turtle birth rate.
◾ There are only 7 species of sea turtles in the world, and only 5 species are found in Thailand: green turtles, hawksbill turtles, green turtles, loggerhead turtles, and leatherback turtles.
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◾ All turtles lay their eggs on land: No matter what kind of turtle they are, no matter how far they live from land, they will all return to lay their eggs where they were born, because turtles have a compass that will help them find their way home correctly.
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◾ Turtles can't get out of their shells: Because a turtle's shell is made up of bones that connect to the spine, sternum, ribs, and shoulder bones, almost all of the bones are held together. Turtles can't get out of their shells.
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◾ Leatherback sea turtles are the largest sea turtles: adults can weigh up to 900 kilograms and grow up to 2.5 meters long.
Reasons why sea turtles are nearing extinction, part of World Turtle Day
As mentioned earlier, the situation of turtles around the world is not very satisfactory, especially sea turtles whose population is continuously decreasing. Let's take a look at the reasons why the number of sea turtles is decreasing to the point of risking extinction, which led to World Turtle Day.
Plastic waste in the ocean
Since turtles, after hatching from their eggs, are not yet good at swimming, they will let themselves float along with the current, causing the baby turtles to float and get caught in the rafts of trash created by fishing nets, weeds, and plastic waste that are blown by the monsoon winds, and eventually causing the baby turtles to die.
It was also found that both baby and adult sea turtles ingest plastic waste, causing the plastic to clog their digestive system, preventing them from excreting, leading to infection and eventually causing the turtles to be unable to eat and die.
Illegal hunting of sea turtles
Turtles are hunted illegally almost all the time. Both their beautiful shells, meat, skin and eggs are collected by humans. This is another main reason why sea turtles are rapidly becoming extinct.
Climate change
In addition to rising global temperatures causing more females than males in sea turtle hatching, cutting off the reproductive cycle, rising temperatures are also causing storms and destroying sea turtle habitats.
Let's join together to conserve sea turtles and prevent them from becoming extinct. Everyone can do it.
Let's join hands in conserving sea turtles on the upcoming World Turtle Day. Everyone can do their part in helping sea turtles with these easy methods.
◾ Do not throw trash into the sea or on the beach.
◾ Join together to help collect trash in the ocean or some people may volunteer to dive and collect trash in the ocean.
◾ Do not support products, goods or food made from turtles.
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◾ Study knowledge about sea turtles and share it with your friends or acquaintances.
◾ Prevent illegal fishing or use of gear that threatens sea turtles.
RHINOSHIELD supports plastic reduction by developing environmentally friendly products.
RHINOSHIELD recognizes the importance of plastic waste that damages both the environment and sea turtles because:
Each year we produce 430 million metric tons of new plastic and the amount of plastic waste will triple by 2060. Only 9% of plastic is fully recycled, some of which breaks down into microplastics that can infiltrate the human and animal body. RHINOSHIELD has continued to develop products to support the reduction of plastic use, which has led to the Circular Next eco-friendly case.
RHINOSHIELD CircularNext case is 100% recyclable.
CircularNext is a shockproof mobile phone case made from old cases and is 100% recyclable because it is made from Mono Material, meaning using a single material to produce the phone case, making it easy to recycle, reducing the creation of microplastics and plastic waste. This is another option that will help the environment and sea turtles. Let's join together to preserve the environment and reduce plastic waste on the occasion of World Turtle Day with CircularNext.
Recycle old cases, creating zero waste
CircularNext is made from used phone cases and factory surplus materials, which go through RHINOSHIELD's circular manufacturing process, resulting in zero waste from production, and this manufacturing process increases the lifespan of the material by up to 6 times. You can also check the recycling history of the product by scanning the QR Code on the inside of the phone case.
Military-grade durability
Despite being a recycled case, CircularNext still maintains its shockproof properties. With a military-grade shockproof design that can absorb impacts from a height of 3.5 meters, you can rest assured that your phone is safe.
Safe from hazardous substances
CircularNext is a product that is absolutely safe for users, whether they are small children or pets, as it passes the US FDA food grade packaging standards and does not contain chemicals commonly used in plastics such as BPA/S/F.
The colors are unique and one of a kind.
CircularNext is currently available in two colorways: Sky Peach and Sky Violet, inspired by sunrise and sunset. Choose the one that suits your needs. It’s a case that’s both beautiful and environmentally friendly.
With World Turtle Day coming up, RHINOSHIELD is committed to reducing the use of plastic, which is one of the causes of the extinction of sea turtles and baby sea turtles that have just hatched from their eggs. As young sea turtles tend to float downstream and eventually get caught in the rafts of garbage and die.
Therefore, RHINOSHIELD would like everyone to be aware of the importance of this plastic waste. You can start by using the CircularNext case, a 100% recycled case that helps reduce plastic waste and microplastics that are harmful to the world and sea turtles, and does not cause other pollution. There are also other cases such as SolidSuit Clear, Mod NX, JellyTint that are made from a single piece of material that is easy to recycle and can also help reduce the amount of plastic. You can also decorate the case with text, stickers, and images as you wish.
In addition, RHINOSHIELD has added new designs from local artists who want to be another voice in calling for and campaigning for everyone to pay attention to environmental issues by adding new sticker designs that are specifically about saving the world.
For those interested in designing their own eco-friendly case, you can do so here! RHINOSHIELD