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World Turtle Day is an annual observance held every May 23rd. It began in 2000 and is sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue. The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats, as well as to encourage human action to help them survive and thrive. A study on the effects of biodiversity awareness days listed World Turtle Day as an example of how they increase the internet search traffic on the protected species.

World Turtle Day is promoted by dressing up as turtles, wearing green summer dresses, saving turtles caught on highways, engaging in research, and adopting turtles or tortoises from rehabilitation centers. American Tortoise Rescue provides Turtle Day lesson plans and craft projects, to encourage teaching about turtles in classrooms.

American Tortoise Rescue, a nonprofit organization established in 1990 for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle.

Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, founders of ATR and World Turtle Day, advocate humane treatment of all animals, including reptiles. Since 1990, ATR has placed about 4,000 tortoises and turtles in caring homes. ATR assists law enforcement when undersize or endangered turtles are confiscated and provides helpful information and referrals to persons with sick, neglected or abandoned turtles.
www.worldturtleday.org