The university profits from the existence of the diamondback terrapin, the state’s official reptile, on a daily basis. From the mascot that parades around at sporting events to the turtles that flash on-screen; in “Fear the Turtle” ads, to t-shirts, mugs, keychains and hoodies, the diamondback terrapin is an essential part of this university.
However, in real life, the diamondback terrapin has more to fear than its opponents.
According to a Washington Post report, the past three years have seen a drastic terrapin population decline, which has been caused by commercial harvesting – partially because of an increase in those who eat them for dinner.
Despite the university’s extensive use and fan worship of the terrapin, Marguerite Whilden, the founder and leader of the Terrapin Institute, a local organization created to protect the endangered terrapin, said university support toward efforts to protect the terrapin have decreased.
The university’s lack of involvement in protecting its real-life mascots is shameful. Two years ago, the university contributed $1,300 to the Terrapin Institute, which functions on a $15,000 budget. Last year they donated $6,000. This year, they will donate just $1,000. One Terrapin Institute volunteer said the university’s $1,000 donation is more of an “insult” than a help. Whilden funds about one-third of the institute’s budget herself and relies on a staff of about 20 volunteers, according to The Post’s report. She often buys diamondback terrapins from businesses that harvest them so she can set them free – and sometimes just one turtle can cost $1,000.
The university should start a campus awareness campaign to educate students, faculty and staff that Testudo isn’t just a student in a turtle costume – it’s an endangered species the state could very well lose. Act Like You Know the terrapins need help.
A “Save the Turtle” campaign could complement the “Fear the Turtle” gear in the bookstores and the Comcast Center Gift Shop. The university has spent a lot of money to market itself using the terrapin. It should market the animal’s protection using those same resources if its going to continue to profit from its very existence.
A bill set to be introduced in the state legislature this week would prohibit the commercial harvesting of diamondback terrapins until the species is able to revitalize itself. If passed, the bill would be the first form of official state support that would help the terrapin, and the university should throw itself firmly behind it.
After all, the university would really put its foot in its mouth if it were to find itself marketing “Fear the Turtle” t-shirts for a species that has become extinct.