Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Animal advocate Bon Chan still remembers rescuing a turtle that could not move. After a decade spent trapped in a small box, its shell had grown to match the container’s restrictive walls.
It was such mistreatment that pushed Chan, who is in his 40s, to found Turtle’s Inn. This initiative rescues abandoned reptiles and educates the public to take ownership of their pets.
In 2018, Chan, who has always loved reptiles, began taking in abandoned turtles in Hong Kong as an independent volunteer while working part-time as a personal fitness trainer.
On social media, where he has over 28,000 followers, Chan often posts about his rescues. Most groups adopting these turtles are NGOs and schools, and Chan has ensured that they have space for a large tank.
“Aquatic turtles are swimmers,” he said. “Most people think as long as you soak them in a bit of water, they’ll survive. They won’t die, but that’s not really living.”
Parks and pools are no place for pet turtles
Because many pet owners might not realise that turtles can be a lifelong commitment, they often abandon their reptiles in public spaces. Though this is a crime under Hong Kong law, Chan said that better enforcement and education were needed.
Two hotspots for turtle abandonment are public parks and pools of water.
Many pools in the city’s public housing estates do not have running water, and this is not healthy for turtles.
In public parks, many people might mistakenly believe that authorities placed the turtles there and were looking after the animals.
Chan warned that many of the pool facilities have hidden traps, such as drainage outlets that create a dangerous suction.
“We’ve actually rescued several where their legs got stuck inside. The gap is very narrow. Once the leg goes in and the turtle twists, it can’t pull it back out,” the animal enthusiast said.
“In the end, those turtles often need to have the limb amputated and be sent for treatment.”
Animal care starts with children
To turn around the current culture of turtle treatment, Chan knew he had to start by teaching children and building their empathy through hands-on experiences.
He recalled a conversation with a kindergarten principal, who wanted to put a stop to treating turtles as disposable educational tools in schools.
Chan said: “Everyone buys them for education ... Very often, the turtles are used for a while and then left to die. By next year, they just buy another one. I really want to stop this from happening.”
Through hundreds of workshops and activities in Hong Kong schools, Chan has taught students how to properly care for animals. He guides them in setting up the tanks and other parts needed to create suitable homes for animals.
“I hope they understand why we do this,” he said.
