A man has garnered controversy for picking up a sea turtle in a viral video. The man picked up the sea creature while in Hawaii. The video later appeared on TikTok.
It shows the man picking up the animal, posing with the creature, and then putting the sea turtle back down. The incident happened at the end of October at Kuli'ou'ou Beach Park near Hawai'i Kai on O'ahu.
"Please remember DO NOT touch sea turtles in Hawaii, regardless of their condition, alive or dead," the TikTok user wrote in the caption. "They are protected animals. You must stay at least 10 feet away from them and avoid taking close-up photos or interacting with them in any way. This is not okay."
Do Not Pick Up A Sea Turtle
"What our law provides is that a person who does that and is found guilty is guilty of a misdemeanor offense," Jason Redulla, enforcement chief for DLNR's Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, told Hawaii News Now. "That means up to one year in jail and a fine of no less than $250 on the first offense."
"Knock it off. Respect our wildlife as you would the wildlife where you come from," he continued. "A lot of people come to Hawaii relaxed and not fully thinking about what they're doing, or what consequences their actions may have."
Meanwhile, marine life advocate Melina Clark condemned the man in the video. She was horrified by his actions.
"My heart stopped ... it was disturbing," Clark told the outlet. "It just showed once again that here we are in 2025, nothing has improved."
"These turtles have been here millions of years," she added. "The more people who don't show care or teach others how important they are to the islands, the more harm we'll keep seeing. Locals care. Hawaiians care."
