Freshwater turtles are in serious trouble: about a third of the world’s species are on the edge of extinction, and others are facing all kinds of problems. It’s the usual litany: habitat destruction, over-hunting, the exotic pet trade, and of course, Chinese medicine (traditional Chinese medicine: where ignorance and superstition lead to gratuitous extinction events).

Turtles are an ancient clade — and the cause of their decline is clear and inarguable. It’s us. I think I need to die before I have grandchildren so I don’t have to explain to them how we screwed up their planet.