May 23 (UPI) -- World Turtle Day, celebrated annually on May 23, was started in 2000 by a rescue group aiming to protect the habitats of turtles and tortoises around the world.
The holiday was inaugurated in 2000 by the nonprofit American Tortoise Rescue, which said on the holiday's official website that it was created as "a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world."
"Millions of turtle lovers in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Borneo, India, Australia, Greece and many other countries worldwide now observe the day with thousands of educational events, parties, fundraisers and more," American Tortoise Rescue said in a news release heralding the 22nd annual holiday.
World Turtle Day is also used by numerous zoos and aquariums around the world to educate about the shelled animals.
Other holidays and observances for May 23, 2022, include Declaration of the Bab Day, International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, Lucky Penny Day, National Taffy Day, Victoria Day and World Crohn's and Colitis Day.