Costa Rica Fails To Protect Endangered Sea Turtles-Poachers Attack Environmentalists

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People have a tendency to blame Japan, and other Asian countries for demonstrating a complete and exclusive disregard for the creatures of the sea.

Turtles crawl toward the sea after laying eggs on a beach in Costa Rica. (Photo: Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters)
Turtles crawl toward the sea after laying eggs on a beach in Costa Rica. (Photo: Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters)

Sadly, there are lots of other countries, and people, that demonstrate the same disregard. In Costa Rica for example poachers attack a group of volunteers, including members of the Sea Shepherds, guarding sea turtle eggs.  They last made environmental news when they savagely slaughtered thousands of sharks in a marine sanctuary.

Read the full story of the Costa Rica turtle poachers and those who try to protect the endangered sea turtle from them.

by David Kirby, a professional journalist for 25 years. His third book, Death at Seaworld, was published in 2012.  Article reprinted with permission from TakePart.com.

There’s trouble in eco-paradise.

Costa Rica, long hailed as a resolute steward of the environment, is failing to protect endangered sea turtles and their eggs along the nation’s Caribbean coast, leaving most of that work to volunteers who have faced violent and even deadly attacks by poachers, environmentalists contend.

The latest incident happened in the early morning hours last Friday, when the 11 multinational volunteers from Operation Jairo, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Sea Turtle Defense Campaign, were assaulted by at least 10 stick- and machete-wielding poachers, according to the environmental group. The volunteers were patrolling Pacuare Beach, a favored site of nesting turtles.

Two volunteers sustained minor injuries. Brett Bradley of Australia, the Operation Jairo ground leader, stood between the assailants and the volunteers and was hit repeatedly on his arms with sticks while media crew member Ellen Campbell of Canada sustained an injury to her shoulder, Sea Shepherd said in a statement.

The attack was vicious and frightening but not unexpected, said Jorge Serendero, Sea Shepherd spokesperson for Central America. “The poachers had already threatened all the volunteers, especially Brett Bradley,” he said.

That’s because on June 4, the team had encountered a poacher snatching eggs from an endangered leatherback sea turtle. They intervened and surrounded the turtle, protecting her until she finished nesting and returned to the ocean. The remaining eggs were transferred to a guarded hatchery.

It infuriated the poachers.

A few days before the attack, a man approached the volunteers on the beach. “He was shouting and screaming and saying, ‘We’re going to kill you,’ ” Serendero said.

Sea Shepherd reported the threat to local police and doubled the number of armed guards—from two to four—hired to protect the volunteers. During the attack, one of the guards fired several shots into the sand, causing the assailants to flee.

Costa Rican law enforcement officials did not respond to an email seeking confirmation of the incident.

Read the rest of the story at TakePart.com…..

About Post Author

Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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