A SoCal bar has been hosting turtle races for years. Activists say it’s time to stop

Pub lore has it that the original owner of Brennan’s in Marina Del Rey introduced turtle races in 1975, purely on a whim, to attract crowds.

Decades later, the races remain a major attraction, taking place every other Thursday to the roar of patrons cheering their favorite red-eared slider while a commentator shouts live commentary.

But campaigners say that as the races’ 50th anniversary approaches, it is high time for Brennan’s to stop exploiting the reptiles and permanently remove them to their built-in habitat at the bar.

“We really think 49 years is enough,” said Alexandra Paul, the former Baywatch star and animal rights activist. “It would be wonderful if Brennan decided to stop this truly outdated form of entertainment for humans.”

Paul is one of almost 12,000 people who have joined a campaign to stop racing, organized by the non-profit In Defense Of Animals. The group has already held two protests this year, with demonstrators chanting outside the bar “entertainment is no excuse for animal abuse” and “turtles are not meant to race, they deserve a natural place “.

But Brennan has no plans to give up competitions.

In a written statement to LAist, the owners — part of the Artisanal Brewers Collective restaurant group — maintain that the turtles “thrive” under the care of a certified veterinary technician on staff. They report that on race nights, the turtles never leave their habitat for more than about 10 minutes.

“None of them are required to run, as sometimes they prefer to nap or socialize while the others compete,” the owners wrote.

Meanwhile, the “bets” customers place on the turtles bring in up to $30,000 a year to serve “good causes” like fighting homelessness.

That’s not an excuse, says Brittany Michelson, who runs the For Animal Rights campaign.

“It’s great that they’re raising money for charity, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of animals being used against their will,” said Michelson, who also runs a small sanctuary for tortoises and tortoises in Tucson.

Videos of the races posted online show Brennan’s staff holding turtles wrapped in brightly colored strips high up for the crowd to see before dropping them into the middle of a circle. The winner is the first turtle to exit the circle.

Michelson said there has been no communication with the bar’s owners beyond their initial response to a letter sent by In Defense of Animals last September calling for an end to the races – which the owners rejected while defending their protection of turtles.

Brennan’s is far from alone in holding turtle races. These contests are advertised in bars and restaurants across the country, in cities like Chicago and Houston, and are often held at county fairs.. In Defense of Animals said they may expand their campaign to other locations, but are now focusing on Brennan after a local resident alerted the group to his turtle competitions.

Paul, who blasted turtle racing in an opinion piece co-written with a Sonoma State University turtle biologist, said it was her friend who first notified In Defense of Animals by Brennan. When Paul first joined the campaign to stop racing, it was because, intellectually, it seemed like the right thing to do. She didn’t particularly like turtles.

“They’re not usually pets and when they are, they’re not that cuddly,” Paul said. “They don’t have expressions on their faces. So people think of them as being emotionless.”

What she discovered through her work on the campaign is that turtles are sensitive to stress responses, likes and dislikes – creatures that should receive the same humane treatment as dogs and cats.

As for Brennan’s owners, they note that “non-human neighbors on Earth” are also a priority for them.

They told how they had to restore the turtles to health when they bought the bar seven years ago, building them a new habitat with “space to swim, sunbathe and live the good life”.

This project, they said, was in line with their commitment to animals, which includes offering vegan menu options and donating to animal welfare organizations.