World Turtle Day is observed on May 23 to raise awareness about the need for human action to help protect the habitat of turtles. The day was founded by American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) in 2000. ATR was founded in 1990 by husband and wife team Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson. Turtles are among the oldest and most primitive groups of reptiles that evolved millions of years ago. On World Turtle Day 2020, let's pledge to protect them.