The highly anticipated reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film series is opening this weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited. The Turtles were a part of my childhood, and I’m thrilled to see Hollywood bringing the series back to life so a new generation can experience the greatness that is Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello.
The franchise is great for kids, but not so great for reptiles. And this isn’t something unique to the TMNT franchise. When 101 Dalmatians came out in 1996, there was a spike in abandoned Dalmatians due to impulse purchases from families who didn’t realize Dalmatians are high-energy dogs and, despite the idealized version of them in the movies, aren’t the best dog for kids. When Rango was released in 2011, Paramount offered a discount to moviegoers to buy a reptile as a “pet.” This clever marketing campaign inevitably appealed to the thousands of kids who left the movie theater pleading with their parents for what they think will be a new friend. More often than not, unfortunately, the child’s novelty with its new pet wears off, and the animal is neglected.
When blockbuster films have the ability to influence their audience, especially young, impressionable ones, they also should take responsibility for the consequences. TMNT began influencing its audience about 30 years ago. Suddenly, droves of parents hit the pet stores in search of red-eared terrapins so their children could have a little ninja of their own. While that might not seem so bad, the unexpected consequences were devastating. According to the Daily Beast, TMNT triggered an environmental crisis in England when parents released their unwanted turtles into local waterways.
Besides the negative environmental impact, baby turtles with shells less than four inches (due to salmonella) are illegal to buy or sell in the US. Baby turtles only end up in pet stores after being smuggled into the country and sold under the radar. Purchasing one not only breaks the law, but also supports the exotic trade industry, an industry where innocent, wild animals pay the price for human’s greed. Furthermore, those baby turtles, cute as they are, pose an additional risk to young children and infants because of their increased potential to carry salmonella.
Unsurprisingly, the most important reason to forego buying a turtle this weekend is the inadvertent cruelty this decision may pose to the animal. The American Tortoise Rescue, a California based non-profit that works to protect reptiles, estimates that 90% of the turtles purchased since the 1990 TMNT movie died either because they were dumped illegally into rivers, lakes, and even dumpsters, flushed down toilets, or relinquished to shelters and overcrowded rescues.
While the story of real turtles may be less adventurous and exciting than the Ninja Turtles, the moral is important: Don’t buy turtles as “pets,” and don’t buy any animal on a whim. Having a pet means you need to provide, care, and love that sentient being for years. If you can’t make that commitment, then you shouldn’t make that purchase. Please make the compassionate choice, and buy your child a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy. They will be just as happy, and so will the animals!
Becky Allan says
Great article Michelle, you made some very valid points.
I hope today’s parents are more responsible and don’t rush out to procure a turtle for their kids, they live for decades, need a 100 gallon tank at least to be comfortable as adults, require very frequent cleaning and daily care, most people don’t realize all these requirements and buy them on a whim.