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What do Disney, Sea Turtles, and Haunted Mansion all have in common? There is only one way to find out (if you dare)!
Welcome, foolish turtle-loving mortals!
Did you know that when it isn’t busily creating film and television entertainment or running world-class theme parks, Disney is at work protecting sea turtles? Disney has been supporting sea turtles for over 20 years. More than 1.5 million sea turtle hatchlings have emerged on Disney beaches over the years. Additionally, Disney has rehabilitated more than 300 injured turtles.
In fact, when it comes to sea turtles, a good portion of Disney Conservation takes place on Disney’s own Vero Beach. This year alone, during the March through October season, the team has recorded more than 2,200 sea turtle nests! It has been a record-breaking year for sure, which is excellent news for the species!
Not only does the team conduct innovative research exploring the human relationship with sea turtles and how to best protect them, but it also connects humans and sea turtles in meaningful ways. And one of those ways is a delightful annual event that you are just going to love.
Tour de Turtles!
According to Disney, Tour de Turtles is an annual event that brings together a team of researchers from the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) and sponsors including Disney Conservation. They use satellite telemetry to track turtles to learn more about migration. All of the gathered data helps researchers, conservationists, and governing agencies inform decision-making regarding conservation management.
Of course, it is also a race to see which sponsoring agency’s turtle will swim the furthest during migration season. Each turtle is swimming for a cause and earns money as she goes! And this year Disney has 2 hauntingly fin-tastic competitors in the tour!
Disney’s Ghoulishly Delightful Turtles
You may have heard it mentioned during a tour of the Haunted Mansion that there is “room for one more. ” Well, in the case of the Tour de Turtles, there is room for two more.
This year Disney Conservation and Disney Cruise Line each sponsored a turtle in the tour. One is named Madame Leota and the other is called Harriet. Both, of course, are named after characters from the Haunted Mansion Movie, a brand-new film based on the beloved attraction.
Madame Leota is swimming to fight plastic debris and Harriet is swimming to fight Light Pollution. You can see Disney’s team release them in this exciting video!
Credit: Disney Parks
These magnificent turtles will swim to their feeding grounds, and send valuable knowledge along the way. You can even track their progress over at tourdeturtles.org!
Are you spellbound by Madame Leota and Harriet? Let us know in the comments. And, feel free to pass this story along to your friends and loved ones who would love to see these beautiful sea turtles.
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