Paul McCartney Lends Support to Protect Turtles in Cayman Islands

Rock legend and longtime animal rights activist Paul McCartney has become quite fond of little green objects that inhabit the Cayman Islands. However, this article has absolutely nothing to do with his vast fortune, but rather a campaign to stop turtle farming in the Caribbean tax haven.

On Wednesday (Oct. 17) McCartney tweeted, "There is no humane way to farm sea turtles. Support [the World Society for the Protection of Animals] campaign to #stopseaturtlefarming." As of today, more than 50,000 people have signed a petition on their website.

The controversy stems from the impact on the ecosystem throughout the Caribbean when turtles from the farm are released into the wild. “Well-documented diseases found primarily in captive turtles can be spread to wild populations,” a spokesperson for the Sea Turtle Conservancy said. “The turtles that are breeding at the Cayman Turtle Farm originate from many different oceans and nesting colonies, which means they have very different genetics. If their offspring are allowed to mix with and mate in the wild, it could have far reaching impacts on sea turtle navigation abilities and genetics.”

McCartney is not the only rock legend to recently take a stand on animal rights issues. Brian May of Queen has been leading the charge to prevent a mass slaughter of badgers in England.

Ted Nugent could not be reached for comment.