Two years ago my husband and I visited the Caribbean. One of our stops was a turtle farm on Grand Cayman Island.
I presumed that the turtles were being hatched to release back in the sea, much like a salmon hatchery. I was very shocked to discover that the turtles were slaughtered for meat to make soup with. Restaurants pay eighteen or twenty dollars a pound for it to feed to tourists.
I suppose I wouldn't have a problem with a poor person dragging a turtle out of the ocean to feed their hungry children, but raising an at risk species to make soup was beyond offensive to me. I asked myself if they would wash it down with a panda burger?
In the wild these animals die from eating plastic bags that careless people have thrown into the water. The bags resemble jelly fish which are a sea turtles natural prey.
I was awestruck by how beautiful these creatures are and how incredibly BIG. They "fly" through the water as if it took no effort at all.
My friends teased me that I had "bonded" with the turtle and at first I was embarrassed by their comments. While working on this piece I learned to be honored by their comments. I did "BOND" with the turtle as well as all the other animals that swam around in those concrete tanks.
As I watched the animals swim I wondered what the other things in the water were until I realised it was thousands of chunks of turtle dung. I wanted to haul everyone of those turtles down to the beach and turn them loose if it took me forever.
I needed to say SOMETHING about this issue so of course, I made a quilt! I thought if only one person sees this quilt and decides to boycott restaurants that serve turtle meat or other business that sell turtle products my very small effort would be rewarded.
Now when I look at the quilt I think of this "high seas drifter" roaming free through the worlds oceans leaving her progeny to roam after her instead of swimming the endless circles of the concrete tanks.
I titled the quilt "DON'T EAT THE SOUP" If you read this I hope you to will "BOND" with the turtle and not support the businesses who use turtle products.