Turtles come to Bournemouth for the day

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Visitors to Bournemouth beach on Bank Holiday Monday were greeted by the sight of 200 hawksbill turtles scattered across the sand looking as if they had just crawled out of the sea to lay their eggs. The turtles were actual life-size cardboard models placed on the beach by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to raise awareness of the impact of the wildlife souvenir trade on endangered turtles.

Fascinated younsters and families were allowed to take the creatures home at lunchtime when the stunt was over.

Turtles in the wild are most vulnerable to hunters when they come out of the sea to lay eggs. They are slaughtered and their shells turned in to trinkets for tourists.

A recent survey by the IFAW found that just one in four people knew that items labelled as genuine tortoiseshell are made from the hard shells of sea turtles. Trade in all wild marine turtles and their parts is banned under international law.

An IFAW spokesperson said: "We want people to think twice about what they are bringing back from their holidays."