Leatherback sea turtles are some of the largest reptiles around, second only to crocodiles. They’re also an endangered species. The obvious thing to do is race them, right?
A handful of sponsors, including Yahoo! and Travelocity, have joined together to organize the Great Turtle Race of 2007. Eleven leatherback sea turtles will be outfitted with satellite tags and tracked from Costa Rica to their feeding grounds at the Galápagos Islands — a trip that is expected to take around 14 days. Here’s where you come in. Log into the site and choose your favorite turtle; each is given their own name (I picked Genevieve) and trading card complete with a biography and a range of statistics. Once you choose a turtle, you’ll be notified via email as to its progress as it makes its way to the Galápagos Islands.
The Race was organized to benefit something, no doubt, but the website is pretty sparse on details. The ‘donate’ button takes you to Network For Good, but their website only tells you who you’re donating your money too, not what it goes to benefit. After a lot of digging, I finally came across a report on Leatherback Trust Inc — the company soliciting donations — whose mission simply states (in all caps!), “TO SAVE THE LEATHERBACK TURTLE AND OTHER SEA TURTLES FROM EXTINCTION THROUGH A VARIETY OF MEANS.”
The race is less than a week away, yet much of the site seems to be unfinished. This is surprising, since it’s branded with a “Powered by Yahoo!” badge. Not too flattering. Even so, it’s an interesting way to generate interest in the leatherback turtle. For more information, head to GreatTurtleRace.com, or check out a video after the jump: