The idea of "stealing" leatherback turtle eggs is absolutely horrible!! Yes, I used the word "steal" because humans do not own a turtle's offspring. Humans need to remember, we all share this planet. Before I read the post, I glanced over the pictures; I actually thought those people were starving, and were eating turtle eggs just to survive! The Costa Rican government needs resolve this problem immediately, because there's no telling what Costa Ricans will be eating next; it maybe you!
This post is very close to home and because it is so, I feel comfortable saying the following. My mother grew up in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and throughout my childhood-we traveled to Costa Rica on many occassions. As a child, living on the coast-turtle eggs were VERY accessible. For natives and locals living near these creatures, turtle eggs are viewed like they view fish and fish eggs. Most of the time, the people don't have the knowledge of differentiating the various turtles and a turtle is a turtle is a turtle. Of course, as my mother grew, she realized what she was eating and sort of creeped her out. Either way, the eggs for the most part are not used for cooking or anything else. They suck on the raw soft eggs and suppose to be very delicious. Okay-so on that note-I am not PRO-snatching turtle eggs, but Im sure that the people that do go egg hunting-really arent aware of the damage being done on a broader scale (ecologically). So, though I don't believe in stopping a "natural" habitat (meaning the natives and locals from doing what theyve been doing for centuries)-I do encourage informing them of the harm and teaching them the consequences that will occur if they keep doing it. Don't judge people objectively, when they don't have the knowledge we have of what's really going on. Most of the coast locals don't even own a t.v.-how can we expect them to know what to do?
Something definitely needs to be done about what is now going on in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican government needs to quickly address both sides of the issue. They need to find out why these people are taking these eggs. They need to put in place laws that would prevent them from doing so. By now we all can conclude that poaching is not always the right thing to do. Not to say that is right what these people are doing, but as human we sometimes go through economic difficulty and that we do anything to survive. Most of the people that are doing that are probably very poor and that they can't even provide for themselves. In my opinion, the only thing that would put a stop to that situation is if the Costa Rican government decides to do something about it. If they are doing that due to poverty and hard times, the government needs to somehow provide help for these people and at the same time prevent them from doing these kinds of action.
This story reminds me of professor Triff saying the man on a boat in Indonesia hunting for sharks has less of a 'mind' compared to a gorilla. These people in Costa Rica are not in the same mindset as first world countries. They do things to survive, that's it. They have no luxury to decide what to eat and what not to. They must eat period. Now if these eggs are being SOLD to others for a pretty penny then the fault is not those who 'steal' the eggs but those who buy it. You must kill it from the root, not the leaves. And for the argument that these eggs supposedly belong to humans because we are greater is not a valid or sound one. For we are all animals and to own and control others is wrong. That includes pets, for those pet lovers reading this. Domesticating animals makes them weaker and not in their environment. Similar to animals in the zoo. To dig even deeper, is it right to eat animals? Well the way I see it is, animals eat animals. Thus we are just part of the system. We just do it better. How about the moral issues? Birds take these eggs also, not just us. Therefore this whole issue of taking these eggs isn't an issue at all. It's nature. Even without humans animals become extinct. This is survival of the fittest! Those who are not fit die. Nature would have no mercy if all humans were to perish, life would continue to go on. I'm sure a lot of people are mad about what I'm saying. But this is not my personal view, its not about me, its about the issue. I personally think this is wrong and should be controlled just like all of you. Because being an intelligent species is defining moral and creating a definition for it. Other animals just don't know better. That's why we all must be better than this.
I believe many overlook the more important points of this issue. Firstly, as has been stated prior, the Costa Ricans are usually not eating these turtle eggs because they are the only source of food around. Thus, it is unreasonable to justify the vast amount of eggs taken by making the claim that it is done in the spirit of ending hunger. Furthermore, the damage being done is tremendous; such is clear by the fact that a few of these species are already endangered. This indicates that the rate of consumption is far greater than that of production. If the situation remains unchanged, total extinction of some of these species will be the outcome. Once more, it is clear that the majority of these eggs are not being used for a positive cause. Is it proper to eliminate a species merely for the sake of human sport? What grants such a right to a human?
I am slightly more inclined to agree with a point made prior, which states that the root of this problem lies in the purchasers. Certainly, buyers play a big role in the equation. However, the ideology that allows such a lucrative market to flourish must also be questioned, and this is where the problem of the masses is illustrated. If the trade was not profitable to the poachers, it seems reasonable to believe that perhaps such an industry would not exist at all. This is just another case of a form of exploitation for personal profit.
professor i have to admit that i enjoy these blogs.
in my opinion , turtles have as much right to own their own offspring as humans have to own their offspring. how dare we as a human race take what is not ours. all i know that we (the scientists) are a bunch of hypocrits.
as i was scrolling through the pictures of this post i was outraged because its just horrible how beautiful these giant creatures are and how much damage we cause them.
I’m a little confounded by the situation here. Although I am against the stealing, eating, or just plain tampering of the offspring of any endangered animals, I do not know the full situation in which these events occur. More so, I find it odd that a country that has done more than its fair share of damage to the ecosystem has so many people trying to stop another country from doing so. Once again, I do not endorse the eating of any endangered species but rather I suggest that we all take a look at this and see how their actions compare against our own. If we make an improved effort in our lives in how we treat every living organism then the rest of the world will take notice considering our political and social pull and react accordingly. The people of Costa Rica would be ashamed if exposed with no one else to point fingers to justify their actions. Until then, unless we wash ourselves of our own ecological sins (i.e. catastrophic oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico); we are in no condition to be throwing legislative stones.
The poaching of Leatherback Turtle eggs is very sad to see. There are so many cases where animals have become endangered because of poaching and habitat destruction. People don’t seem to understand or care about these precious animals; they just look at them as an opportunity to make some money. It is frustrating that more governments do not place harsh punishment on the poaching of endangered animals. I see government enforcement of jail time and huge penalties as the only way to get poachers to stop hunting endangered species. Education of the public would also help to stop the problem because hopefully after the public is educated about the problem they can help stop the poachers and also will not buy their furs, skins, or other animal products from endangered species. I did a little research and found that the population of Leatherback Turtles has been reduced to about 25-30% of what their population was in 1980. That is a huge decrease in 30 years. Other animals like tigers, lions, pandas, etc. number are below 7,000. It is safe to say that if poaching continues in this way that we will see the extinction of these animals in our lifetime. It’s time that the governments around the world step up and take action against these poachers. It is a shame to see the pictures of the freshly laid turtle eggs being carted off by so many people at once and no one doing anything about it. Turtle nests in the U.S. are heavily guarded and marked. If I person is caught messing with the nest they can be subject to harsh penalties. Governments around the world need to learn from the U.S. example and protect the precious creatures that are many times a proud symbol of their countries before it’s too late.
Each year over 4,000 sea turtles are being smuggled. I was shocked to find out in an article that Costa Ricans actually eat sea turtle eggs. Digging up turtle eggs in beaches should be illegal everywhere but in some places it’s legal. I don’t think its right to dig up turtles nests or even eat them. I think that all beaches should be protected from those who try to kill or steal these turtle eggs. A sea turtle egg poacher, if being caught they can be seriously in trouble with the park officials, depending on the location. Turtles should be left alone and not be bothered. It’s just not fair for them to be repeatedly invaded .It’s sad that turtles aren’t able to defend themselves; this is their disadvantage of not being a human. Poaching in Costa Rica should be put to an end and the legislation should also enforce against this act.
This post did not shock me as much. Since the eggs are not hatched I believe it has a less impact. Although, if you imagine the kind baby turtles swimming it may break your heart. Unfortunately I am not aware of what exactly happens after the eggs are collected. But that actually makes it easier for I not to find it as disturbing. However, morally, it is bad and disturbing at some point. If the government finds a justifiable way to limit or abolish this, then it shall be it. Till then, it's just something we have to cope and bare with.
It amazes me on what humans these days think of and do. They will basically steal anything and sell everything they can get their hands on. It makes me sick to believe people would go so far just to try to make money off this. I understand that our economy isn't great,and that money is much harder to come by this day in age, but stealing eggs from turtles is just wrong in my opinion. Just imagine some one stealing a human being's baby. We would all freak out and search for it like crazy. I hate how people keep thinking that we are the only species that matter on earth. Karma is going to happen to us.
Apparently turtle eggs are delicious. Lets face it, some animals are delicious, fish is delicious too! But I do believe this argument is not valid enough for us to say "hey let's eat the animals because their delicious". Here in the United States their are some rules and legislations about the hunting and the killing for animals. And notice how I mention SOME because not all these rules apply to all the animals. For instance, their is a certain time of the year where fishermen are allowed to hunt for crabs. And even so their only able to catch a limited amount per person. I believe these are the kinds of legislation that Costa Ricans should consider. It is true that Costa Ricans are taking advantage and stealing the eggs from the turtles because their is no law that stops them from doing so. It is necessary that government intervenes in order to preserve the existence of future turtles, otherwise they will become extinct.
First of all I know that atleast in Latin Countries people dont place animals on the same level as Americans do. In the US you dont see people throwing hot water on dogs because they are trying to scavenge for food, you hardly see dogs on the street... the point I'm trying to make is that when I went to Nicaragua for the first time as a little girl I remember thinking that the people treated the dogs like garbage (for use of a better word) I had never seen so many stray dogs in my life and so skinny and people throwing hot water on them or hitting them to leave, thing is those dogs are hungry as are the people of the country, but over there they are obviously not going to give the dog anything considering they HARDLY have anything for themselves... so they see a dog stealing food totally opposite than what we do... I see my dog taking my food and I laugh I think its cute... over there they're angry and upset but the animal is only trying to survive. That all comes down to poverty.... and I wanted to explain this because its just the kind of level that and respect that we ahve for animals is not the same.... the people of costa rica do not think they are doing harm, they are only trying to fend for themselves, EVERYONE wants to look out for their family, it doesnt make it right at ALL, and they should be educated and regulated. and I know for a fact that Costa Rica is not as poor as Nicaragua, I actually think its one of the wealthiest in Central America along with Panama. Point is the government would have to make some kind of law to protect these creatures... I dont think it'll stop it COMPLETELY but it will somehow at least constrict the amount of eggs being stolen.
I think it’s not very complicated to explain the reason for which these human beings are committing these acts of cruelty, because, in my opinion, there is only one factor that drives these beings to these catastrophic acts and that's their GREED! The second image in the post reminded me of a documental that I once saw about an issue in Costa Rica, in this documentary, they videotaped a man stealing (what I consider TO BE STEALING) a turtle’s eggs; they also captured the moment in which the turtle was trying to protect her eggs. For me, it was just a heartbreaking image. Just like a dog would defend her puppy, this turtle was trying to do the same thing. Costa Rica is a country that has a GDP or GDI of 29.318 billion of USA dollars, which leads them to a GDP per Capita of 6,345 USA dollars. On the other side, Congo, the poorest country of the world has a GDP per Capita of 300 USA dollars. Costa Rica’s per capita amount of money compared to the poorest country’s GDP per capita is huge; this means that their economy is not bad. My other reason for which I said that this was all about THEIR GREED would be that ignorance is just a shield that they use, because it’s their pretext for these acts of cruelty. In the same documentary, they interview the same guy who was stealing the turtle’s eggs and while they were doing so, they told him about the ecological disaster he could be possibly being provoking, and his answer was something like “this is the season to make a easy and fast money.” So I strongly believe this is an act of cruelty to satisfy greed.
why our the Costa Rica people taking the eggs from the turtles. what is so special abut the turtle eggs. this turtle eggs most be a top seller in Costa Rica because if people have sacks filled up to there backs that must mean something or the eggs our just that good. I feel that these people are taking the eggs to do many stuff with them like for example that could be the only thing they can eat and survive of the eggs. second there taking the eggs to sell them to the black market to make money to find there families and finally they might take these eggs in let them grow and have a farm filled with turtles.
The poaching of turtle eggs in Costa Rica is definatly something that has happened due to ignorance. Unfortunatly the people who are involved with doing this probably have no idea what they are causing and what impact they are having on the future of the species. The fact that this particular species, the leatherbacks, are endangered makes the situation much more critical. What people don't understand is once they are all gone, that's it, there will be no more of that species. All animals are connected by the food chain and depend on each other. When you take even one species out of the equation it throws off the whole chain, throwing off our ecosystem. If there is anything we need to preserve it is our ecosystem, it's what we live in and we must protect it and all living things in it. We are fortunate here in the US to have certain laws and legislatures that make it illegal for these activities such as poaching turtle eggs to go on. We also have the means for the education and conservation of the balance of our ecosystem and the importance of keeping it safe. Although i expected the reason for the poaching of eggs to be simply for individual family consumption, I was sad to find out after reading that that's not the case. I understand the fact that they live in poverty and need to eat but when it's about human greed and ignorance i will not understand it. The fact that people are digging up large amounts of these endangered species turtle eggs to sell for profit and to have as a delicacy is just wrong. If turtle eggs are such a wonderful delicacy then there should be a limit on how much can be taken for consumption. The last thing that needs to happen is for the species to completly disappear. Even though they may not have the means I really hope something is done about this before it is too late. Education is everything and I think the people in Costa Rica need to be educated and protection laws need to be set and when the laws are broken it should not be tolerated and there should be strict punishment. I have to admit it made me smile a little when i read the article in which the man was shot for taking the eggs and not cooperating with officials. As mean as it may sound, I kind of feel like he got what he deserved.
I believe it's ignorance not poverty that drive the egg poachers to stealing sea turtle eggs which are an endangered species. Because clearly there's no famine going on in that part of the world. It's understandable if a humble local person who may use the eggs as a way to provide for his family, but that is not the case for all those people in the pictures whom are seen stealing, ransacking the eggs just a few minutes, hours after being laid. Out of all those sea turtle eggs only a few turtles get an opportunity to reach adulthood no wonder why this species is at a significant risk. It's a good start that egg poaching is illegal in Costa Rica except in Ostinal Beach where as I read it's legal to take eggs during only the first 48 hours. Though as also posted poachers continue to illegally dig for sea turtle eggs as the post ot the poacher who refused to stop stealing turtle eggs from Carate Beach and was shot by National Park Rangers. I believe serves as an example that Park Rangers took a stand for the turtles, someone has to if we don't who will? Leave it up to the poachers this endangered species will be extinct in no time. What will they care they will move on to the next and extinct that species also. We have to bring awareness as to what this is doing egologically. More places should start taking a stand and protecting their beaches just as the conservation program helping sea turtle in Nicaragua in which it's more rewarding to the rangers and locals to help in protecting the eggs because they receive money. Not only are they getting money but receiving awareness. It's amazing how naturally these sea turtles come into the beaches swimming thousands of miles to lay their eggs in a safe place for humans out of all species to destroy the eggs. In oppose to that comment in the blog not to call it stealing I believe yes when humans take the eggs it is stealing, when someone takes something that does not belong to you it's stealing. Either human or animal, that human taking that egg did not lay it therefore he or she is stealing from the sea turtle who swam all the way to lay the egg just to have it stolen and sold to greedy people who just want and think about money. I would understand if people in Costa Rica were in such poverty that they were starving and there only means of food were the sea turtle eggs but this is not the case. So their need to be more conservation programs to bring awareness to protect the beaches is vital.
This turtle egg snatching is very surprising to me, due to the fact of the location that it is happening in. Costa Rica is reguarded as one of the most "green" countries (meaning enviromentally sustainable pro-activeness). This country has the largest wind farm of any other country on Earth. Also, they have strict laws for mandatory recycling that are being put into effect in all 81 municipalities of the country. In a recent interview, Fabio Molina ((Institute for Municipal Development, or IFAM), stated that "Costa Rica is one of the ten most important eco-tourism destinations in the world,” and added, “It has to be a model in its policies for the conservation of the environment.” . Why then, are these turtles not being included in all these plans? It makes me wonder if humans are inevetibly doomed to constantly destroy our enviroments. I don't consider myself a pessimist, but it seems that there are always people that simply just don't care about anything that does not generate money. These people need to learn that the enviromental cost of destruction is much heavier than any amount of money, for monetary notes can not bring back these beautiful, peaceful turtles. Cited from the costaricanews website: ***http://blog.thecostaricanews.com/2008/03/25/government-law-would-make-recycling-mandatory.aspx
It is interesting topic, and ofcourse we must do something to prevent extinction. first of all, government must act fast for these egg poacher, such as high penalty, put guards surrounding the area where sea turtle come to lay eggs, or preserve the area from these thieves. i would call egg pouchers as "thieves" because they are taking the stuffs which do not belong to them. people take eggs just for their benefits, clearly money. this action is based on indidual's selfishness. when one makes a choice, there will be one's morality, education, financial situation and so on, but if one knows that sea turtles are actually in danger of extinction, majority of people will think twice before they take eggs. low education in costarica migh play a role too. since not so many people are well educated, they just dont know the reality. that makes this complicated because we can not accuse one's innocent act. for example, a baby broke a expensive whatever you have, a baby did not intend to do so. therefore, we can not accuse a baby nor costa ricans. what government ought to do is, educate their people that sea turtles are in danger of extinction, so it is wrong to take their egg, and it must be continued to next generation. also, if one happens to be a buyer of eggs, one must realize whats behind,where it comes from, and this one must say "no" becase if there is a demand, these thives will not stop taking eggs. once, they realize, there are no need of egg in the market, they will eventually stop this.
This article was personally more disturbing than our previous blog. Leatherback turtles are such rare and beautiful mammals. The idea of humans around the world poaching these lovely gifts is very disappointing. The people of Coasta Rica are a civilized,peaceful society that is aware of their own human rights. For them to disregaurd the lives of thousands of Leatherback turtles is a crime. It is pure ignorance because they have plenty of food to consume as is. One of the images actually shows a heavier set woman smiling while collecting the eggs from their freshly dug nest. I could try to comprehend this if maybe this woman was in desperate need of nourishment and looked in distress. However, she is well fed and looks happy committing the crime of poaching. Coasta Rica as well as countries around the world need to protect the Leatherbacks and keep these eggs nesting so we don't kill off another species. I remember when I was younger going to North Miami Beach one night to see the hatching of Green Turtle's. It was such an amazing moment after waiting in the night to watch one of nature's most rare and tough beginnings of life. To think poachers are taking this away just to add something new to the menu or at the grocery store simply sucks.
It's quite sad how so many turtle eggs are being taken away from the turtles to which they BELONG to. I do believe that taking the turtle eggs away like that is considered stealing, they do not belong to humans! The Costa Rican government needs to work on regulations for this problem. I can understand that the turtle eggs are a source of food to the people, but they should atleast respect that and only take a limited amount of eggs, instead of being greedy and taking so many! If this continues, many turtles can go extinct. That would throw off the eco-system! It saddened me when i read " how many would-be turtles are there in all those sacks that will never get to swim the high seas?" So many turtles will not have the privilege of living life, swimming in the ocean... It sounds so horrible.
Money makes the world go round. The poaching of leatherback turtles and their eggs makes these egg traffickers rich. The turtles and their eggs seem to be easily accessible and there is a large demand for them. They also have a loophole where they can claim that all the eggs they have acquired are from Ostinal, where its legal. Would you to want to stop making easy money? These traffickers could care less if a certain species of endangered turtles go extinct or not as long as their making money. The best way to counter the large demand of these turtles is to raise awareness. What WILDCOAST is doing with their media campaigning is great and truly inspirational. However, the problem is that people will go on living their lives. I remember watching the documentary “The Cove”, where they say your either an activist or your not. Most of us may truly feel sorry for these turtles and be completely against it. But how many of us will actually do something about it? Poaching is the main reason for the decimation of this species in my opinion. However I don’t think every person that you see in these pictures are heartless poachers. I believe for some of them it’s simply a tradition or a cheap way of feeding their family. Therefore, I believe it’s a combination of greed, ignorance and poverty that leads to the decimation of these leatherback turtles. If we continue on this self destructive path our offspring will miss out on all the natural beauty this earth has to offer, that we take for granted everyday.
When I first glanced at the pictures, the first thought that came to my mind was all those sacs can't be filled with those turtle eggs and if so, those people must really be hungry. This was even before I read the post to see what was going on. After reading the post and finding out those people are endangering the "Leather Back Turtle" just to gain a profit,really upset me because i feel all animals should have the same rights as us to share this planet earth equally and reproduce freely without having their off-springs carried away for financial gains. This is my personal opinion and I know the world don't revovle around me. Scanning through the other posts of classmate and reading Xochilt Bermudez post,which explains why they are doing this, it opened my eyes a little on the situation. So finding out that this is a tradition to there native land and has been passed on from generation to generation. I feel that its up to their government to step up and explain to the natives what is going on and find an alternative to solve this problem. Even if the government allows the native to poach at a seasonal time allowing the "Leatherback Turtle" to regain its numbers would be a better solution than killing off the entire specie. In my eyes it's still wrong but who are we to judge other countries when we have slaughter houses for pigs. And in my opinion, smart men don't make money off of a product that runs out because its leads them right back to where they started when the product runs out. Smart men usually finds ways to make their brand last.
I do believe that what is going on in Costa Rica is not only unnessary but also greedy. Unless the poachers are absolutly clueless on the status of these turtles I can find no reason why they arent protected.This was and is still an issue in some areas of our Florida coast. Many beaches where residential condos are have lighting restrictions to deter turtles during their mating season. We even go as far as sectioning off areas of beaches for turtle eggs. I think what needs to be done is follow our lead and protected the un protected. Jason Taplin
This article is the perfect example on how greedy, cruel, and disrespectful humans beings are. Its sad that some people actually take advantage of defenseless and beautiful creatures like that. That is unacceptable. These people in Costa Rica have no idea what they are doing to our planet's environment; they are so ignorant and inconsiderate to realize that what they are doing now is coming back to them one way or another later. They are helping destroy our planet just like oil spills, gas emerges into the atmosphere among many others. It really makes me mad that they are not even starving, and have no idea about the consequences; but the biggest responsible for all that is the Costa Rica's government because they are not acting to prevent that in any way. The government should penalize, fine and put to the jail people who are poaching turtle eggs for good. I am sure if they would enforce these rules you would see how these people would think twice before doing such cruelty.
Poachirg turtle eggs consider as the worst factor that sea turtles undergo. Sea turtles will not be able to resist and survive because of their enemies which consistently taking away their eggs. By taking out those turtle eggs, their prevent those eggs to reach the complete reproduction phase. Costa Rican government must act as quickly as possible to stop these devastation. The Costa Rican authorities must enforce their legislation against poaching turtle eggs and penalize whoever breaks that law. I think that they should teach those poachers the reason why is not important and reasonable to poach turtle eggs. In addition, the must aknowledge the poachers of the ecological consequences of poaching turtle eggs. As buters concern, the government must also prevent those buyers from purchasing those eggs because if there weren't no buyers there will be no sellers.
To begin with, a component of nature is to control and dominate, and since we are mammals that make us a part of nature. However, do we have the right to destroy the population of animals and to control their way of living? No, it is wrong. It is wrong to dig out leatherback turtles eggs from THEIR nest. Perhaps, one of the Costa Ricans would like someone to kidnap one of their children and eat them for breakfast (delicious if one was a cannibal). When will one realize that the wild animal race is coming to an end? If Costa Ricans continue to feast on leatherback turtle eggs and there population dies out, what will they destroy or feast on next? Maybe they will eat alligator tails for dinner? Human beings will always find a less dominant animal species feast on, when will we pick on someone are own size like lions or cheetahs since we are so dominate.
Hence, now is a great time to stop feasting on the endangered animal nest therefore the turtles can reproduced. However, Costa Rican officials need to do something about it. If one is able to get pounded to death for stealing an apple at a market (in the Dominican Republic) from the LOCALS, I think for this to stop, other locals against the crime must step up and defend the turtles because the officials won’t step in until the race of the turtles are completely wiped out.
This article was very well established, and clearly states its message. I believe that every picture tells a story, it presents a logical idea of what is going on in Costa Rica. However, we don’t know the other side of the story, which is the people of Costa Rica, they clearly don’t understand or have enough knowledge to state that they are "stealing" one reason for that in my opinion could be the fact that they are always in search of survival in order to provide for their family. Not every country is fit to compete in a suitable market and sometimes government takes a part of free will from them. The people have no choice but to live out of their only supply which in a coastal location are sometimes animals. Yes, it may not be the right thing to do, considering that these animals have their own habitat and for the most their own life. And these animals create a life form for them that allow us humans to appreciate their value, but here in the coast of Costa Rica we see people taking these future value and defenseless creatures to a way of profit for them. I believe that it is their government’s responsibility to take into their hands and show the people how not to use these creatures in such manner, they should be more aware of what they are doing. These turtles are clearly endangered and are defenseless, so it is up to us to create knowledge about this type of environment and help stop this cruelty.
29 comments:
The idea of "stealing" leatherback turtle eggs is absolutely horrible!! Yes, I used the word "steal" because humans do not own a turtle's offspring. Humans need to remember, we all share this planet. Before I read the post, I glanced over the pictures; I actually thought those people were starving, and were eating turtle eggs just to survive! The Costa Rican government needs resolve this problem immediately, because there's no telling what Costa Ricans will be eating next; it maybe you!
Travis Thomas
This post is very close to home and because it is so, I feel comfortable saying the following. My mother grew up in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and throughout my childhood-we traveled to Costa Rica on many occassions. As a child, living on the coast-turtle eggs were VERY accessible. For natives and locals living near these creatures, turtle eggs are viewed like they view fish and fish eggs. Most of the time, the people don't have the knowledge of differentiating the various turtles and a turtle is a turtle is a turtle. Of course, as my mother grew, she realized what she was eating and sort of creeped her out. Either way, the eggs for the most part are not used for cooking or anything else. They suck on the raw soft eggs and suppose to be very delicious.
Okay-so on that note-I am not PRO-snatching turtle eggs, but Im sure that the people that do go egg hunting-really arent aware of the damage being done on a broader scale (ecologically). So, though I don't believe in stopping a "natural" habitat (meaning the natives and locals from doing what theyve been doing for centuries)-I do encourage informing them of the harm and teaching them the consequences that will occur if they keep doing it.
Don't judge people objectively, when they don't have the knowledge we have of what's really going on. Most of the coast locals don't even own a t.v.-how can we expect them to know what to do?
Something definitely needs to be done about what is now going on in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican government needs to quickly address both sides of the issue. They need to find out why these people are taking these eggs. They need to put in place laws that would prevent them from doing so. By now we all can conclude that poaching is not always the right thing to do. Not to say that is right what these people are doing, but as human we sometimes go through economic difficulty and that we do anything to survive. Most of the people that are doing that are probably very poor and that they can't even provide for themselves. In my opinion, the only thing that would put a stop to that situation is if the Costa Rican government decides to do something about it. If they are doing that due to poverty and hard times, the government needs to somehow provide help for these people and at the same time prevent them from doing these kinds of action.
This story reminds me of professor Triff saying the man on a boat in Indonesia hunting for sharks has less of a 'mind' compared to a gorilla. These people in Costa Rica are not in the same mindset as first world countries. They do things to survive, that's it. They have no luxury to decide what to eat and what not to. They must eat period. Now if these eggs are being SOLD to others for a pretty penny then the fault is not those who 'steal' the eggs but those who buy it. You must kill it from the root, not the leaves. And for the argument that these eggs supposedly belong to humans because we are greater is not a valid or sound one. For we are all animals and to own and control others is wrong. That includes pets, for those pet lovers reading this. Domesticating animals makes them weaker and not in their environment. Similar to animals in the zoo. To dig even deeper, is it right to eat animals? Well the way I see it is, animals eat animals. Thus we are just part of the system. We just do it better. How about the moral issues? Birds take these eggs also, not just us. Therefore this whole issue of taking these eggs isn't an issue at all. It's nature. Even without humans animals become extinct. This is survival of the fittest! Those who are not fit die. Nature would have no mercy if all humans were to perish, life would continue to go on. I'm sure a lot of people are mad about what I'm saying. But this is not my personal view, its not about me, its about the issue. I personally think this is wrong and should be controlled just like all of you. Because being an intelligent species is defining moral and creating a definition for it. Other animals just don't know better. That's why we all must be better than this.
I believe many overlook the more important points of this issue. Firstly, as has been stated prior, the Costa Ricans are usually not eating these turtle eggs because they are the only source of food around. Thus, it is unreasonable to justify the vast amount of eggs taken by making the claim that it is done in the spirit of ending hunger. Furthermore, the damage being done is tremendous; such is clear by the fact that a few of these species are already endangered. This indicates that the rate of consumption is far greater than that of production. If the situation remains unchanged, total extinction of some of these species will be the outcome. Once more, it is clear that the majority of these eggs are not being used for a positive cause. Is it proper to eliminate a species merely for the sake of human sport? What grants such a right to a human?
I am slightly more inclined to agree with a point made prior, which states that the root of this problem lies in the purchasers. Certainly, buyers play a big role in the equation. However, the ideology that allows such a lucrative market to flourish must also be questioned, and this is where the problem of the masses is illustrated. If the trade was not profitable to the poachers, it seems reasonable to believe that perhaps such an industry would not exist at all. This is just another case of a form of exploitation for personal profit.
professor i have to admit that i enjoy these blogs.
in my opinion , turtles have as much right to own their own offspring as humans have to own their offspring. how dare we as a human race take what is not ours. all i know that we (the scientists) are a bunch of hypocrits.
as i was scrolling through the pictures of this post i was outraged because its just horrible how beautiful these giant creatures are and how much damage we cause them.
Bianca Dara Benhaim
I’m a little confounded by the situation here. Although I am against the stealing, eating, or just plain tampering of the offspring of any endangered animals, I do not know the full situation in which these events occur. More so, I find it odd that a country that has done more than its fair share of damage to the ecosystem has so many people trying to stop another country from doing so. Once again, I do not endorse the eating of any endangered species but rather I suggest that we all take a look at this and see how their actions compare against our own. If we make an improved effort in our lives in how we treat every living organism then the rest of the world will take notice considering our political and social pull and react accordingly. The people of Costa Rica would be ashamed if exposed with no one else to point fingers to justify their actions. Until then, unless we wash ourselves of our own ecological sins (i.e. catastrophic oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico); we are in no condition to be throwing legislative stones.
Michael U. Campbell
The poaching of Leatherback Turtle eggs is very sad to see. There are so many cases where animals have become endangered because of poaching and habitat destruction. People don’t seem to understand or care about these precious animals; they just look at them as an opportunity to make some money. It is frustrating that more governments do not place harsh punishment on the poaching of endangered animals. I see government enforcement of jail time and huge penalties as the only way to get poachers to stop hunting endangered species. Education of the public would also help to stop the problem because hopefully after the public is educated about the problem they can help stop the poachers and also will not buy their furs, skins, or other animal products from endangered species. I did a little research and found that the population of Leatherback Turtles has been reduced to about 25-30% of what their population was in 1980. That is a huge decrease in 30 years. Other animals like tigers, lions, pandas, etc. number are below 7,000. It is safe to say that if poaching continues in this way that we will see the extinction of these animals in our lifetime. It’s time that the governments around the world step up and take action against these poachers. It is a shame to see the pictures of the freshly laid turtle eggs being carted off by so many people at once and no one doing anything about it. Turtle nests in the U.S. are heavily guarded and marked. If I person is caught messing with the nest they can be subject to harsh penalties. Governments around the world need to learn from the U.S. example and protect the precious creatures that are many times a proud symbol of their countries before it’s too late.
Nick Griffin
Each year over 4,000 sea turtles are being smuggled. I was shocked to find out in an article that Costa Ricans actually eat sea turtle eggs. Digging up turtle eggs in beaches should be illegal everywhere but in some places it’s legal. I don’t think its right to dig up turtles nests or even eat them. I think that all beaches should be protected from those who try to kill or steal these turtle eggs. A sea turtle egg poacher, if being caught they can be seriously in trouble with the park officials, depending on the location. Turtles should be left alone and not be bothered. It’s just not fair for them to be repeatedly invaded .It’s sad that turtles aren’t able to defend themselves; this is their disadvantage of not being a human. Poaching in Costa Rica should be put to an end and the legislation should also enforce against this act.
This post did not shock me as much. Since the eggs are not hatched I believe it has a less impact. Although, if you imagine the kind baby turtles swimming it may break your heart. Unfortunately I am not aware of what exactly happens after the eggs are collected. But that actually makes it easier for I not to find it as disturbing. However, morally, it is bad and disturbing at some point.
If the government finds a justifiable way to limit or abolish this, then it shall be it. Till then, it's just something we have to cope and bare with.
It amazes me on what humans these days think of and do. They will basically steal anything and sell everything they can get their hands on. It makes me sick to believe people would go so far just to try to make money off this. I understand that our economy isn't great,and that money is much harder to come by this day in age, but stealing eggs from turtles is just wrong in my opinion. Just imagine some one stealing a human being's baby. We would all freak out and search for it like crazy. I hate how people keep thinking that we are the only species that matter on earth. Karma is going to happen to us.
Yakov Mogilevskiy
Apparently turtle eggs are delicious. Lets face it, some animals are delicious, fish is delicious too! But I do believe this argument is not valid enough for us to say "hey let's eat the animals because their delicious". Here in the United States their are some rules and legislations about the hunting and the killing for animals. And notice how I mention SOME because not all these rules apply to all the animals. For instance, their is a certain time of the year where fishermen are allowed to hunt for crabs. And even so their only able to catch a limited amount per person. I believe these are the kinds of legislation that Costa Ricans should consider. It is true that Costa Ricans are taking advantage and stealing the eggs from the turtles because their is no law that stops them from doing so. It is necessary that government intervenes in order to preserve the existence of future turtles, otherwise they will become extinct.
-Robin Romero
First of all I know that atleast in Latin Countries people dont place animals on the same level as Americans do. In the US you dont see people throwing hot water on dogs because they are trying to scavenge for food, you hardly see dogs on the street... the point I'm trying to make is that when I went to Nicaragua for the first time as a little girl I remember thinking that the people treated the dogs like garbage (for use of a better word) I had never seen so many stray dogs in my life and so skinny and people throwing hot water on them or hitting them to leave, thing is those dogs are hungry as are the people of the country, but over there they are obviously not going to give the dog anything considering they HARDLY have anything for themselves... so they see a dog stealing food totally opposite than what we do... I see my dog taking my food and I laugh I think its cute... over there they're angry and upset but the animal is only trying to survive. That all comes down to poverty.... and I wanted to explain this because its just the kind of level that and respect that we ahve for animals is not the same.... the people of costa rica do not think they are doing harm, they are only trying to fend for themselves, EVERYONE wants to look out for their family, it doesnt make it right at ALL, and they should be educated and regulated. and I know for a fact that Costa Rica is not as poor as Nicaragua, I actually think its one of the wealthiest in Central America along with Panama. Point is the government would have to make some kind of law to protect these creatures... I dont think it'll stop it COMPLETELY but it will somehow at least constrict the amount of eggs being stolen.
Virginia Torres
I think it’s not very complicated to explain the reason for which these human beings are committing these acts of cruelty, because, in my opinion, there is only one factor that drives these beings to these catastrophic acts and that's their GREED! The second image in the post reminded me of a documental that I once saw about an issue in Costa Rica, in this documentary, they videotaped a man stealing (what I consider TO BE STEALING) a turtle’s eggs; they also captured the moment in which the turtle was trying to protect her eggs. For me, it was just a heartbreaking image. Just like a dog would defend her puppy, this turtle was trying to do the same thing. Costa Rica is a country that has a GDP or GDI of 29.318 billion of USA dollars, which leads them to a GDP per Capita of 6,345 USA dollars. On the other side, Congo, the poorest country of the world has a GDP per Capita of 300 USA dollars. Costa Rica’s per capita amount of money compared to the poorest country’s GDP per capita is huge; this means that their economy is not bad. My other reason for which I said that this was all about THEIR GREED would be that ignorance is just a shield that they use, because it’s their pretext for these acts of cruelty. In the same documentary, they interview the same guy who was stealing the turtle’s eggs and while they were doing so, they told him about the ecological disaster he could be possibly being provoking, and his answer was something like “this is the season to make a easy and fast money.” So I strongly believe this is an act of cruelty to satisfy greed.
Henrry A. Rosales
why our the Costa Rica people taking the eggs from the turtles. what is so special abut the turtle eggs. this turtle eggs most be a top seller in Costa Rica because if people have sacks filled up to there backs that must mean something or the eggs our just that good. I feel that these people are taking the eggs to do many stuff with them like for example that could be the only thing they can eat and survive of the eggs. second there taking the eggs to sell them to the black market to make money to find there families and finally they might take these eggs in let them grow and have a farm filled with turtles.
The poaching of turtle eggs in Costa Rica is definatly something that has happened due to ignorance. Unfortunatly the people who are involved with doing this probably have no idea what they are causing and what impact they are having on the future of the species. The fact that this particular species, the leatherbacks, are endangered makes the situation much more critical. What people don't understand is once they are all gone, that's it, there will be no more of that species. All animals are connected by the food chain and depend on each other. When you take even one species out of the equation it throws off the whole chain, throwing off our ecosystem. If there is anything we need to preserve it is our ecosystem, it's what we live in and we must protect it and all living things in it. We are fortunate here in the US to have certain laws and legislatures that make it illegal for these activities such as poaching turtle eggs to go on.
We also have the means for the education and conservation of the balance of our ecosystem and the importance of keeping it safe.
Although i expected the reason for the poaching of eggs to be simply for individual family consumption, I was sad to find out after reading that that's not the case. I understand the fact that they live in poverty and need to eat but when it's about human greed and ignorance i will not understand it. The fact that people are digging up large amounts of these endangered species turtle eggs to sell for profit and to have as a delicacy is just wrong. If turtle eggs are such a wonderful delicacy then there should be a limit on how much can be taken for consumption. The last thing that needs to happen is for the species to completly disappear. Even though they may not have the means I really hope something is done about this before it is too late. Education is everything and I think the people in Costa Rica need to be educated and protection laws need to be set and when the laws are broken it should not be tolerated and there should be strict punishment. I have to admit it made me smile a little when i read the article in which the man was shot for taking the eggs and not cooperating with officials. As mean as it may sound, I kind of feel like he got what he deserved.
Virginia Walker
I believe it's ignorance not poverty that drive the egg poachers to stealing sea turtle eggs which are an endangered species. Because clearly there's no famine going on in that part of the world. It's understandable if a humble local person who may use the eggs as a way to provide for his family, but that is not the case for all those people in the pictures whom are seen stealing, ransacking the eggs just a few minutes, hours after being laid. Out of all those sea turtle eggs only a few turtles get an opportunity to reach adulthood no wonder why this species is at a significant risk. It's a good start that egg poaching is illegal in Costa Rica except in Ostinal Beach where as I read it's legal to take eggs during only the first 48 hours. Though as also posted poachers continue to illegally dig for sea turtle eggs as the post ot the poacher who refused to stop stealing turtle eggs from Carate Beach and was shot by National Park Rangers. I believe serves as an example that Park Rangers took a stand for the turtles, someone has to if we don't who will? Leave it up to the poachers this endangered species will be extinct in no time. What will they care they will move on to the next and extinct that species also. We have to bring awareness as to what this is doing egologically. More places should start taking a stand and protecting their beaches just as the conservation program helping sea turtle in Nicaragua in which it's more rewarding to the rangers and locals to help in protecting the eggs because they receive money. Not only are they getting money but receiving awareness. It's amazing how naturally these sea turtles come into the beaches swimming thousands of miles to lay their eggs in a safe place for humans out of all species to destroy the eggs. In oppose to that comment in the blog not to call it stealing I believe yes when humans take the eggs it is stealing, when someone takes something that does not belong to you it's stealing. Either human or animal, that human taking that egg did not lay it therefore he or she is stealing from the sea turtle who swam all the way to lay the egg just to have it stolen and sold to greedy people who just want and think about money. I would understand if people in Costa Rica were in such poverty that they were starving and there only means of food were the sea turtle eggs but this is not the case. So their need to be more conservation programs to bring awareness to protect the beaches is vital.
This turtle egg snatching is very surprising to me, due to the fact of the location that it is happening in. Costa Rica is reguarded as one of the most "green" countries (meaning enviromentally sustainable pro-activeness). This country has the largest wind farm of any other country on Earth. Also, they have strict laws for mandatory recycling that are being put into effect in all 81 municipalities of the country. In a recent interview, Fabio Molina ((Institute for Municipal Development, or IFAM), stated that "Costa Rica is one of the ten most important eco-tourism destinations in the world,” and added, “It has to be a model in its policies for the conservation of the environment.” . Why then, are these turtles not being included in all these plans? It makes me wonder if humans are inevetibly doomed to constantly destroy our enviroments. I don't consider myself a pessimist, but it seems that there are always people that simply just don't care about anything that does not generate money. These people need to learn that the enviromental cost of destruction is much heavier than any amount of money, for monetary notes can not bring back these beautiful, peaceful turtles.
Cited from the costaricanews website:
***http://blog.thecostaricanews.com/2008/03/25/government-law-would-make-recycling-mandatory.aspx
Nichole Kates
To add to my previous blog, I would like to include a glimmer of hope with this picture I found of a protest held in Costa Rica
http://costaricanconservationnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/marcha.jpg?w=391&h=302
-Nichole Kates
It is interesting topic, and ofcourse we must do something to prevent extinction. first of all, government must act fast for these egg poacher, such as high penalty, put guards surrounding the area where sea turtle come to lay eggs, or preserve the area from these thieves. i would call egg pouchers as "thieves" because they are taking the stuffs which do not belong to them. people take eggs just for their benefits, clearly money. this action is based on indidual's selfishness. when one makes a choice, there will be one's morality, education, financial situation and so on, but if one knows that sea turtles are actually in danger of extinction, majority of people will think twice before they take eggs. low education in costarica migh play a role too. since not so many people are well educated, they just dont know the reality. that makes this complicated because we can not accuse one's innocent act. for example, a baby broke a expensive whatever you have, a baby did not intend to do so. therefore, we can not accuse a baby nor costa ricans.
what government ought to do is, educate their people that sea turtles are in danger of extinction, so it is wrong to take their egg, and it must be continued to next generation. also, if one happens to be a buyer of eggs, one must realize whats behind,where it comes from, and this one must say "no" becase if there is a demand, these thives will not stop taking eggs. once, they realize, there are no need of egg in the market, they will eventually stop this.
This article was personally more disturbing than our previous blog. Leatherback turtles are such rare and beautiful mammals. The idea of humans around the world poaching these lovely gifts is very disappointing.
The people of Coasta Rica are a civilized,peaceful society that is aware of their own human rights. For them to disregaurd the lives of thousands of Leatherback turtles is a crime. It is pure ignorance because they have plenty of food to consume as is. One of the images actually shows a heavier set woman smiling while collecting the eggs from their freshly dug nest. I could try to comprehend this if maybe this woman was in desperate need of nourishment and looked in distress. However, she is well fed and looks happy committing the crime of poaching.
Coasta Rica as well as countries around the world need to protect the Leatherbacks and keep these eggs nesting so we don't kill off another species. I remember when I was younger going to North Miami Beach one night to see the hatching of Green Turtle's. It was such an amazing moment after waiting in the night to watch one of nature's most rare and tough beginnings of life. To think poachers are taking this away just to add something new to the menu or at the grocery store simply sucks.
It's quite sad how so many turtle eggs are being taken away from the turtles to which they BELONG to. I do believe that taking the turtle eggs away like that is considered stealing, they do not belong to humans! The Costa Rican government needs to work on regulations for this problem. I can understand that the turtle eggs are a source of food to the people, but they should atleast respect that and only take a limited amount of eggs, instead of being greedy and taking so many! If this continues, many turtles can go extinct. That would throw off the eco-system! It saddened me when i read " how many would-be turtles are there in all those sacks that will never get to swim the high seas?" So many turtles will not have the privilege of living life, swimming in the ocean... It sounds so horrible.
Mevurah Deleon
Money makes the world go round. The poaching of leatherback turtles and their eggs makes these egg traffickers rich. The turtles and their eggs seem to be easily accessible and there is a large demand for them. They also have a loophole where they can claim that all the eggs they have acquired are from Ostinal, where its legal. Would you to want to stop making easy money? These traffickers could care less if a certain species of endangered turtles go extinct or not as long as their making money. The best way to counter the large demand of these turtles is to raise awareness. What WILDCOAST is doing with their media campaigning is great and truly inspirational. However, the problem is that people will go on living their lives. I remember watching the documentary “The Cove”, where they say your either an activist or your not. Most of us may truly feel sorry for these turtles and be completely against it. But how many of us will actually do something about it? Poaching is the main reason for the decimation of this species in my opinion. However I don’t think every person that you see in these pictures are heartless poachers. I believe for some of them it’s simply a tradition or a cheap way of feeding their family. Therefore, I believe it’s a combination of greed, ignorance and poverty that leads to the decimation of these leatherback turtles. If we continue on this self destructive path our offspring will miss out on all the natural beauty this earth has to offer, that we take for granted everyday.
When I first glanced at the pictures, the first thought that came to my mind was all those sacs can't be filled with those turtle eggs and if so, those people must really be hungry. This was even before I read the post to see what was going on. After reading the post and finding out those people are endangering the "Leather Back Turtle" just to gain a profit,really upset me because i feel all animals should have the same rights as us to share this planet earth equally and reproduce freely without having their off-springs carried away for financial gains. This is my personal opinion and I know the world don't revovle around me. Scanning through the other posts of classmate and reading Xochilt Bermudez post,which explains why they are doing this, it opened my eyes a little on the situation. So finding out that this is a tradition to there native land and has been passed on from generation to generation. I feel that its up to their government to step up and explain to the natives what is going on and find an alternative to solve this problem. Even if the government allows the native to poach at a seasonal time allowing the "Leatherback Turtle" to regain its numbers would be a better solution than killing off the entire specie. In my eyes it's still wrong but who are we to judge other countries when we have slaughter houses for pigs. And in my opinion, smart men don't make money off of a product that runs out because its leads them right back to where they started when the product runs out. Smart men usually finds ways to make their brand last.
Jason Strachan
I do believe that what is going on in Costa Rica is not only unnessary but also greedy. Unless the poachers are absolutly clueless on the status of these turtles I can find no reason why they arent protected.This was and is still an issue in some areas of our Florida coast. Many beaches where residential condos are have lighting restrictions to deter turtles during their mating season. We even go as far as sectioning off areas of beaches for turtle eggs. I think what needs to be done is follow our lead and protected the un protected.
Jason Taplin
This article is the perfect example on how greedy, cruel, and disrespectful humans beings are. Its sad that some people actually take advantage of defenseless and beautiful creatures like that. That is unacceptable. These people in Costa Rica have no idea what they are doing to our planet's environment; they are so ignorant and inconsiderate to realize that what they are doing now is coming back to them one way or another later. They are helping destroy our planet just like oil spills, gas emerges into the atmosphere among many others. It really makes me mad that they are not even starving, and have no idea about the consequences; but the biggest responsible for all that is the Costa Rica's government because they are not acting to prevent that in any way. The government should penalize, fine and put to the jail people who are poaching turtle eggs for good. I am sure if they would enforce these rules you would see how these people would think twice before doing such cruelty.
Lucas Azevedo
Poachirg turtle eggs consider as the worst factor that sea turtles undergo. Sea turtles will not be able to resist and survive because of their enemies which consistently taking away their eggs. By taking out those turtle eggs, their prevent those eggs to reach the complete reproduction phase. Costa Rican government must act as quickly as possible to stop these devastation. The Costa Rican authorities must enforce their legislation against poaching turtle eggs and penalize whoever breaks that law. I think that they should teach those poachers the reason why is not important and reasonable to poach turtle eggs. In addition, the must aknowledge the poachers of the ecological consequences of poaching turtle eggs. As buters concern, the government must also prevent those buyers from purchasing those eggs because if there weren't no buyers there will be no sellers.
To begin with, a component of nature is to control and dominate, and since we are mammals that make us a part of nature. However, do we have the right to destroy the population of animals and to control their way of living? No, it is wrong. It is wrong to dig out leatherback turtles eggs from THEIR nest. Perhaps, one of the Costa Ricans would like someone to kidnap one of their children and eat them for breakfast (delicious if one was a cannibal). When will one realize that the wild animal race is coming to an end? If Costa Ricans continue to feast on leatherback turtle eggs and there population dies out, what will they destroy or feast on next? Maybe they will eat alligator tails for dinner? Human beings will always find a less dominant animal species feast on, when will we pick on someone are own size like lions or cheetahs since we are so dominate.
Hence, now is a great time to stop feasting on the endangered animal nest therefore the turtles can reproduced. However, Costa Rican officials need to do something about it. If one is able to get pounded to death for stealing an apple at a market (in the Dominican Republic) from the LOCALS, I think for this to stop, other locals against the crime must step up and defend the turtles because the officials won’t step in until the race of the turtles are completely wiped out.
Oscar Toussaint
This article was very well established, and clearly states its message. I believe that every picture tells a story, it presents a logical idea of what is going on in Costa Rica. However, we don’t know the other side of the story, which is the people of Costa Rica, they clearly don’t understand or have enough knowledge to state that they are "stealing" one reason for that in my opinion could be the fact that they are always in search of survival in order to provide for their family. Not every country is fit to compete in a suitable market and sometimes government takes a part of free will from them. The people have no choice but to live out of their only supply which in a coastal location are sometimes animals. Yes, it may not be the right thing to do, considering that these animals have their own habitat and for the most their own life. And these animals create a life form for them that allow us humans to appreciate their value, but here in the coast of Costa Rica we see people taking these future value and defenseless creatures to a way of profit for them. I believe that it is their government’s responsibility to take into their hands and show the people how not to use these creatures in such manner, they should be more aware of what they are doing. These turtles are clearly endangered and are defenseless, so it is up to us to create knowledge about this type of environment and help stop this cruelty.
- Carlos Chuquicallata
Post a Comment