Reptile and amphibian newswrap: Controversy in the Caymans, ugly animals, and 'natural capital'

Tired of cute and cuddly animals getting all the attention -- and the conservation efforts, too? So is the Zoological Society of London, which is "trying to bring attention to distinct and endangered animals like the olm, a translucent cave amphibian that can live 100 years, and western long-beaked echidnas, which are mammals that lay eggs.... The society ranks endangered mammals, amphibians and birds based on their evolutionary distinct characteristics in order to raise awareness and to begin conservation programs." Read more... Can the world's business community turn around devastating habitat destruction and save threatened species? "A quarter of the world's mammals, 13% of birds, 41% of amphibians and 33% of reef-building corals are now at risk of extinction," reports the Guardian in a lengthy, in-depth examination of the concept of "natural capital," and the financial benefits of preserving species and habitats. Read more... It's the largest release of threatened sea turtles in the Caymans in years... but is it a good thing, or bad? CayCompass.com digs into the roots of the controversy:

Last weekend’s event featured the largest number of turtles released in years, as the breeding farm facility and major tourist attraction in West Bay reported a record number of eggs laid and an increased hatching rate. One by one, and in steady succession, captive-bred farm-raised turtles were off-loaded from a truck that delivered them from the Turtle Farm to the beach adjacent to North Sound Golf Club and then carried to water’s edge by eager participants and placed in the sand to be taken into the warm Western Caribbean Sea by the surf. “Standing here at the seaside, releasing a fresh group, is the ultimate expression of the Cayman Turtle Farm’s conservation mission,” said Tim Adam, managing director of the Cayman Turtle Farm: Island Wildlife Encounter. “As these baby turtles cross the sand, enter the water and start new lives in the sea – it is an awesome moment that gives us hope for the future. Hope that the wild population will continue to grow and flourish with our help." [...] The Turtle Farm hasn’t been without its critics though – especially of late. The Florida-based Sea Turtle Conservancy and the London-headquartered World Society for the Protection of Animals have urged the Cayman Turtle Farm in recent months to stop farming a species designated as endangered. Critics also say there is limited evidence that the release programme has helped grow turtle populations over the years and suggest releasing farmed turtles could pass on diseases to the species in the wild. Earlier this year, WSPA released a scathing investigation claiming the Turtle Farm had failed to meet baseline welfare criteria by citing video and photographs purporting to show turtles in overcrowded and dirty tanks, as well as turtles missing fins, sporting various injuries, and even one left blind by congenital defects. The advocacy group maintains that some of the sea turtles have resorted to cannibalism in their enclosures and may pose threats to humans by potentially passing on E coli, salmonella and enterococci to visitors who handle and interact with the creatures at the tourist facility.

Read more... Photo: Darwin's Frog from WTOP/San Francisco State University.