A sad tale of false belief and animal exploitation
Re: “How many more Ormsins are out there?”, Have Your Say, March 23.
I was dismayed to read about the 25-year-old sea turtle that died due to complications after surgery to remove 915 coins from its stomach. The creature’s natural life span of 80 to 100 years was shortened because of humans’ false superstitious belief that tossing coins at turtles brings longevity and good luck. Today these beliefs need to change and animal exploitation become a thing of the past. Far better to throw a donation to a worthy charity, which would actually bring a greater sense of well-being. As Eric Bahrt said in his letter that same day, people justify cruelty to all innocent animals by arguing they are less intelligent than us. But the fact is that they have their own universal languages that humans don’t even try to understand.
Diane Corneliu
Adelaide, Australia
