On July 27th, Disney Vero Beach Resort hosted its annual Tour de Turtles event. Since this program launched in 2018, Disney and the Sea Turtle Conservancy have worked together to study 29 sea turtles. These turtles are released at the resort and tracked via satellite transmitters. For example, the turtle released last year (Madame Leota) has traveled more than 4,500 miles since, making her way up the southeastern Atlantic coast. Meanwhile, this year, two turtles dubbed Ebb and Flow made their way back into the ocean.
Recently, we had a chance to chat with Dr. Zak Gezon (Conservation Director, Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment) and Dr. Mark Penning (vice president, Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment) about this annual event, the program, and Disney’s many other conservation efforts.
Laughing Place: The Tour de Turtles has a long legacy, but can you give us a little bit of an overview of how this started at Vero Beach?
Dr. Zak Gezon: So, we have been working with the Sea Turtle Conservancy for many, many years. We'd like to add value to any operation that we can and fund amazing organizations around the world that are doing great work. And the Sea Turtle Conservancy developed these migration marathon events many years ago to really try to gain insight as to what is happening with sea turtles for the vast majority of their lives, which is out in the open ocean. And so the conservation team with Disney, we have been working really hard on the beaches out there around Disney Vero Beach Resort and beyond a five-mile stretch of beach for 21 years at this point. And we've documented 1.8 million hatchlings coming up out of the sand and going into the oceans and 22,000 sea turtle nests over this time. It's really been a remarkable effort and we love when we can look at other operations and add value to what they do.
With the Sea Turtle Conservancy, it's an amazing opportunity to partner with them, and we've been funding them for years, but by working together to get a couple of sea turtles and put a satellite transmitter on their back, and we can learn more about their migration patterns, which is absolutely critical to knowing how to best protect them. Then we can really leverage the power of Disney storytelling to get more kids and families and audiences around the world involved in what we're doing and see what we're doing and connected to the great work that the Sea Turtle Conservancy is doing. It is just a phenomenal opportunity where we can really take all of the strengths that Disney has to offer, all of the great work that we do for wildlife, work with a great non-profit organization, and really just build on each other and make something truly magical.
LP: You’ve been doing this for quite some time. What have you learned through the years that have made this program more effective or taught you new things about sea turtles?
ZG: What I can say is that we've been working with Sea Turtle Conservancy and other organizations for decades at this point. And if you go back many decades, the sea turtle nesting on these beaches had decreased to the point where it was so low, it was terrifying, honestly. There was so little activity and it's been increasing over time to the point where last year it was an absolutely record-breaking year. And just on the five-mile beach that we monitor, we documented about 3,000 nests just on our five-mile stretch. And we're having another phenomenal year this year, and we're only halfway through. So one thing that we've been seeing is that all of these efforts to keep trash out of oceans, to use sea turtle friendly lightings so that the sea turtle hatchlings don't get disoriented. It's working, it is paying off big time and we're seeing a huge recovery in these species. And now to the point where this stretch of beach, these beaches in Florida are the most important nesting grounds for the sea turtles in the entire world. I mean, that's really an incredible achievement.
And then in working with Sea Turtle Conservancy, with efforts like Tour de Turtles, we're learning where these sea turtles go. One thing that has been learned is that they don't spend the same area where they come on to nest that they do to feed and spend the rest of the year. They go on remarkable migrations, they go in unpredictable places. Sometimes they'll go down to The Bahamas or Cuba around those islands and back, they'll go into the Gulf Coast of Florida and back around. But what we know is that those hatchlings that come out of these beaches, they spend decades out at sea and they come back and nest in the very same places. And that's why it's so critical to have these long-term efforts and it's paying off in dividends as we're seeing these imperiled iconic animals coming back.
LP: One thing is you're doing the work to help the community obviously, the turtle community, but you're also able to share the story with guests visiting Disney's Vero Beach. Can you talk about the impact it has on the guests themselves?
Dr. Mark Penning: This kind of work, the science is incredible and it's really cool. We want guests to see it though. It's one thing having those signs outcomes, we want to know that our guests have an opportunity to see, and in some instances, to touch, to get up close to a real live sea turtle and to learn. When you realize that this creature that you are watching trundle down the beach towards the sea hatched out on that same stretch of beach 30, 40, 50 years ago, it makes you think a little differently about that animal. It makes you think a little differently about its habitat. And these events can't happen without great partnerships. We can't do it on our own. So the Disney's Vero Beach Resort cast members are incredible. They are fully committed to this program.
Our guests at the resort, and the event's not only open to guests, the general public, anyone is very welcome to come along on the 27th of July to Tour de Turtles. Our guests and the public are really important in this because they're sharing that stretch of each with those turtles and they recognize the importance of coexisting with those turtles on the beach. We can both get what we want out of that beach as long as we respect each other. And then of course, the Disney Junior being such great partners this year, which we are very excited about. And then the Sea Turtle Conservancy Zak mentioned, and our Disney Conservation Fund. We're very proud of our conservation fund that has directed $130 million towards field programs around the world to protect wildlife and their habitats.
LP: I think we're all familiar with the work that Disney does at Disney's Animal Kingdom around animal programs and obviously the Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom has shown us that there's actually work that happens beyond the park and across the whole organization. Also, Walt had a level of conservation and it seems to be at the core of one of the core values of Disney.
MP: Yes, we've learned that how you make the magic is just as important as the magic itself. And protecting the spaces where we have a presence is really important to us. And I love what you said there, this all goes back to Walt Disney himself. He loved animals, he loved nature. You look at how many of his early characters were… They were all animals. And so we are just continuing his legacy and I like to believe he'd be very proud of what we're doing out there today.
ZG: Yeah. Just to add on to that, I think that it's so remarkable that Walt Disney, he still holds the world record for the most Academy Awards won by an individual, and half of those were for nature films. And I think that it really shows from the very beginning his desire to showcase and protect wildlife and these animals, and then also build incredible stories that last with people based on those animals. And I really feel that we are carrying that legacy forward by being able to marry that conservation, that science, and that wildlife protection with the storytelling, so they really resonate and it makes meaningful memories and it lands in a way that really has a lasting lifelong impact.
LP: Obviously there's nothing like being there and experiencing it. Is there anything else you want people to know about this program and the success of it?
ZG: One thing that I would like to highlight is that wherever you are in the world, there are species in need and there are things that we can do to have a meaningful impact on those species. These sea turtles, they nest on these beaches and we try to be excellent caretakers of their nesting grounds while they're here, but then they go off to sea and they're traveling the world. And the same is true for so many species, so be inspired by these stories. If you have the opportunity, it's open to the community, anybody can show up and see science in action, see real scientists doing real work, and you can see what happens and talk to them and witness this. But whether you're seeing it on the Magic of the Disney's Animal Kingdom or via social media or news reports, know that you can have an impact in your own communities.
Just as an example, these are long-distance migrants, and it's the same for the purple martins that we monitor on property here, and it's the same for Monarch butterflies that we try to provide habitat for. These animals travel the world and they need every bit of habitat as they go on these remarkable migrations. And it's very likely that a lot of these animals are passing through the backyard of people around the world. And there's little actions that we can take by creating habitat, planting the right kinds of plants. It all comes together to create habitat and it's absolutely critical for these animals.
LP: We know that Disney's Animal Kingdom has been around for 25 years, I think you can really see the impact of people who visited that park. And now that there's definitely people who are in the conservation movement because of a spark from Disney's Animal Kingdom. So I think we're all indebted to the cast and the operations cast, the animal programs cast, and all the folks that bring that magic to life. So thank you for what you do.
MP: We are so pleased to hear you say that because we know that we do a lot and the team is so passionate, but to hear you actually say that and to know that it's out there is very meaningful. So thank you. I hope you get a chance to come and join us with Tour de Turtles. It's such a great experience. This year we have Ebb and Flow, two sea turtles that the guests will be able to meet. Of course, they're inspired by a new animated series Ariel that will premiere on the 27th of July on Disney Junior, and of course Disney+. And we are really delighted to be able to bring Disney storytelling to a very real, natural phenomenon, a very real animal experience, and combine those two things. So it's going to be so much fun. It really is life-changing.
LP: Well, thanks again for your time. This is always a highlight of our year, so we appreciate you talking about it and look forward to seeing you out there.
MP: Fantastic. So do we. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate your interest.
ZG: Thank you.