Lulu The Sea Turtle Has Spent 82 Years In A Tank - Now Campaigners Are Trying To Rescue Her

THINK

Nov 9

Investigators documented ‘heartbreaking’ scenes of the elderly green sea turtle swimming in circles around her ‘tiny tank’ and sitting motionless in a corner at Sea Life Brighton, the world’s oldest aquarium.

Credit: Amy Jones/Moving Animals/Close Sea Life

Campaigners are calling for the world’s oldest captive green sea turtle to be granted her freedom to live her final years in peace.

82-year-old green sea turtle Lulu, was reportedly taken from the wild as a tiny hatchling back in the 1940s by a TV advertising agency to star in an advertisement for soap.

Spending her eight decades in captivity, Lulu has lived through World War II, Queen Elizabeth II’s entire reign, as well the first space exploration and the invention of the world wide web.

For the last twenty years, the elderly turtle has been kept in a single tank at Sea Life Brighton, the world’s oldest aquarium.

Investigators saw Lulu swimming the same lap repeatedly, or sitting motionless in a dark corner of the tank. In the wild, turtles like Lulu swim hundreds and even thousands of miles and enjoy basking in the sun.

Photo: Amy Jones/Moving Animals/Close Sea Life

Animal advocacy group Close Sea Life has set up a campaign calling for her freedom, and is also asking Sea Life to commit to taking no more turtles into captivity in Lulu’s name.

“Sea Life committed to not exhibiting dolphins back in 1991, and now they need to get with the times and grant that same freedom to Lulu, who has endured an unnatural lifetime of captivity for over eighty years”, says a spokesperson for the Close Sea Life campaign. “Sea Life have the capacity and money to help Lulu live her final years in a peaceful and more natural environment than in a small tank beneath Brighton's busy streets.”

Public opinion surrounding animals in captivity has shifted in recent years. Sea Life Brighton themselves stopped confining dolphins back in 1991 after the cramped conditions repeatedly came under fire.

The Sea Life Trust has more recently focused on supporting the release of captive animals into sanctuaries, including beluga whales Little Grey and Little White who now live together in the first-ever real open-water beluga sanctuary.

The campaign hopes that Lulu can also enjoy her final years in a dedicated and spacious sanctuary.

Sea Life Brighton claims that Lulu is not suitable for release.

“We rescue and release over 50 injured or rescued turtles every year but sadly Lulu is not suitable for release into the wild or an open water sanctuary because she does not have the essential skills necessary to survive,” a press release from the aquarium reads.

“Her rehoming came with strict welfare measures and medical checks, as well as a programme of enrichment. Her home in Brighton offers Lulu a safe space to explore, including a dedicated beach area and numerous places to dive, take gentle exercise and rest.”

Merlin Entertainments, which owns Sea Life Brighton, generated over £1.2 billion in revenue for 2021, and operates other attractions in the U.K. including Alton Towers and Legoland.

“It’s heartbreaking to see this magnificent animal swimming in circles around a tiny tank knowing that she has been kept like this for the last eight decades. Animal lovers want to see animals in their natural environments, not in tanks with artificial lighting. That’s why we’re calling for Sea Life to commit to a ban on turtles in captivity. Lulu may have lived her entire life in a tank, but by speaking out we can help stop other turtles from suffering the same fate,” says a spokesperson for the Close Sealife campaign.

Sign the petition to Free Lulu

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