Conservationist murders threaten Costa Rica's eco-friendly reputation
Conservationist murders threaten Costa Rica's eco-friendly reputation
The brutal murder of Jairo Mora, who was trying to protect endangered turtle eggs, was the latest in a string of crimes against environmentalists in the country. Many worry activists will stay away if poachers continue to go unpunished
Lindsay Fendt in San José
Thursday 19 March 2015 08.00 EDT
As darkness falls on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, dozens of giant reptiles emerge from the sea and drag themselves laboriously onto the shore at Moín Beach.
Every night throughout the nesting season, from March to July, leatherback turtles crawl beyond the tideline to lay scores of eggs in holes laboriously scraped in the sand.
Each turtle can lay up to 80 of the cue-ball-sized eggs, but only a fraction remain safely in their nests: most are plundered by poachers who sell them on the black market as aphrodisiacs. It’s a lucrative trade for the poachers, but disastrous for the turtles, which have been pushed to the brink of extinction by the illegal trade.
In recent years, conservationists have joined in the race to find eggs, which were reburied in a secure location. But frustrated poachers soon began to retaliate with attacks on the volunteers. In May 2013, the conflict culminated in the murder of 26-year-old conservation activist Jairo Mora. Kidnapped while collecting turtle eggs, Mora was beaten and dragged behind a car until he died of asphyxiation in the sand.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/19/conservationist-murders-costa-rica-threaten-eco-friendly-reputation
