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Turtle kill a concern
THE remains of the 200-pound female Hawksbill in front of the National Conservation Commission. (GP)
Published on: 2/3/2010.
THE MUTILATED BODY of a poached turtle at Pebbles Beach in St Michael has not gone down well with the Sea Turtle Association.
Barbados Sea Turtle Project volunteer Darren Browne, in expressing his concern over the act, said he received a call from National Conservation Commission (NCC) workers yesterday when they made the discovery around 6 a.m.
It is illegal to kill turtles and if caught, persons can be fined $50 000 or be jailed for up to two years.
"What someone has done is cut the flippers away from the shell, taken the shell and all the meat and eggs inside, and then placed the carcass in front of the NCC [kiosk]. It's almost as if they were making a statement," Browne said.
He added that the turtle was an adult female Hawksbill (which was a critically endangered species) weighing over 200 pounds.
"Barbados currently has the second largest population of Hawksbill turtles in the entire Caribbean, and we really can't afford for this to start happening. We can't afford to lose adult female turtles because they take 25 years to reach adulthood," Browne lamented.
He said this turtle had very possibly come up for the first time to nest, because it wasn't tagged.
The volunteer added that the perpetrator would not be able to sell the shell since it was illegal to ship such between the Caribbean islands.
"It's a Cites Appendix One species, which means that international trade in any product is banned. So most likely they took the shell because they needed more time to clean off the meat from the inside," Browne stated.
He said 2003 was the last time there was poaching like this, when a turtle's underbelly was cut out, the meat taken and the eggs left strewn across the beach. (CT)
24 comment found!
Action needed : 2/12/2010
Surely it is about time the fisheries dept and the police step up and be a lot more proactive. As a tourist attraction the turtles are worth millions to the island not to mention they are part of the natural heritage that should be enjoyed by our children for years to come. people say there are lots of turtles around so 1 or 2 being killed doesn't really matter. A female turtle takes approx 25 years to mature and start laying eggs, most of the big hotels have come up in the last 20 years encroaching on the beaches and therefore suitable nesting sites. Also, Bim is one of a three islands in the whole of the carib' where the turtles are protected. The last thing we need is thoughtless idiots putting more pressure on the population by killing pregnant females. Please, please,please, if you know of people doing this either report them or persuade them to stop.
Hunt for the killer : 2/11/2010
The action is cruel and ignorant, as well as the shocking statement of defiance against the National Conservation Commission (NCC). It is disconcerting and moreover dangerous not to respond with action at this point.
HUNT FOR THE KILLER AND FIND HIM! Put notices for information with rewards, show that the act has not been taken lightly and there will be serious consequences.
A murder has occurred, a protected endangered female individual possibly pregnant, unable to escape, has been killed. Pretend justice people of Barbados, fight for the conservation of your species. In Europe we don't have such amazing animals, please protect them for all the planet on our behalf as well.
Check out who? : 2/10/2010
Animal mutilation is not typical of Bajans. Let's look around and see who and where these people are from.
: 2/9/2010
Very heartfelt to that mother turtle. the turtle kingdom has just lost one of its fovorite ones.Have a heart.Her cries were heard by other turtle passerbys.
cruel : 2/9/2010
How people can be so cruel to animals and creatures, I hope this person/persons are caught and punish. Somebody said to bring back the cat & nine tail, I agree but also cut a few of there finger nails out and let them feel what it is like to be Cruel.I really hope they catch the Bastards.
A LOVER OF ANIMALS & CREATURES
Disregard for life : 2/8/2010
If people think it makes them a bad boy/girl to hurt or even kill another human, what do you expect... an animal means nothing to them. They have no respect for any animals. The sad part is that we learn from our family and the company we keep.
Animal Cruelty!! : 2/8/2010
Leave animals alone!! Stop the cruelty!!
: 2/7/2010
How dear u violate the life of an animal then what will u do 2 human,I had a pet sheep when i was living n bim an i love waking up an hugging and feeding him before i went 2 school and could not wait 2 get home an c him his name was john morgan he is long dead now but at 40 i think of him everyday of my life,he lots of sense like human,i can give u guys lots of stories.
Stop the Cruelty : 2/6/2010
Crimes against Nature happen in every country and in every society. Why? Because the offenders can. Here in New York if caught they are fined and imprisoned accordingly. Not a week goes by that I don't hear stories of dogs, cats and wildlife harmed by some evil person. It is heartbreaking and unforgivable to harm the 'innocent' and 'helpless'. That's why we have the ASPCA - the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ... and Children. You need to start a group like that in Barbados. Who is going to take the first step?
Turtle Patrol : 2/5/2010
The Barbados Sea Turtle Project is a project run through the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. During the nesting season they monitor beaches for nesting activity, tag and measure nesting females, rescue disoriented turtles, release turtle hatchlings, report poaching and many other tasks.
If you do see poaching or you belief a turtle is going be poached, for your own safety, please do not approach the poachers in the act for it can be very dangerous as they many of them know such an act is illegal. Contact the police immediately and you can also contact the Barbados Sea Turtle Project (230-0142 24hr Hotline) and they will pass on the information the appropriate authorities.
Please play your part in helping us ensure that these beautiful are around for generations to come. For further information you can check out their website at http://www.barbadosseaturtles.org/
Thank you.
Monkeys, Dogs and Turtles! : 2/5/2010
Where is the HUMANITY? I know that most Barbadians disaprove of these violent and barbaric acts, but when are we going to find these criminals and bring them to face justice? I can hardly stand to read these disgusting stories of animal cruelty, and then we have government officials talking about ideas for promoting Barbados as a tourist resort! Let us teach these criminals something about animal cruelty; BRING BACK THE "CAT AND NINE TAIL".
Pee-Wickler, Bajan
Turtles : 2/5/2010
It is the responsibility of all citizens & visitors to report any crimes. I hope whoever did this is caught and thrown in jail for a long time. We need to teach our children to respect life, both human & animal
and life and co-exist together in peace.
God please help Barbados!
Turtles : 2/5/2010
Turtles take a long time to develop and when someone can wipe out those years in a matter of hours I find it most appalling. I do believe it was not an act of one person who did that hideous crime therefore those involve in such a reckless horrible act should consider themselves as criminals, however there is still time to consider they senseless behavior and instead of roaming the beaches at night and disfiguring turtles they should go and get a life..
Turtles are important for keepin Jellyfish populations in check too. : 2/4/2010
If we kill all the turtles, we soon gon see how much Jellyfish and Man-O-War stings people 'gon get 'bout hay. Lef' dem turtles right dey...
: 2/4/2010
The way we destroy each other, who is surprised at how animals, pets, mammals and all other creatures are treated nowadays?
Retired
: 2/3/2010
I find this extremely unnecessary and down-right sick. Turtles are a beautiful edition that God gave us and I'm incredibly disgusted in whoever committed this inhumane act.
Turt;les : 2/3/2010
We sometimes live as if we are the last generation on this planet. If these helpless creatures are killed continually, the generations to come might never know that they existed. Again the government needs to increase the fines for people committing this kind of crime. Growing up as a child, my grandfather would tell us about the turtles that would come early in the mornings on Long Bay to lay their eggs and return to the sea. Over the years it would appear that they had stop coming and I always wondered why. Maybe its because of these criminals that are killing them.
sick... : 2/3/2010
don't forget about the young men filming themselves bothering with the sheep. no respect for life or nature.
Turtle Mutalation : 2/3/2010
Better put a stop to this. This will turn of Visitors. If a tourist came upon this, i can bet you they will not be back, and they will tell their friends to boycott barbados. This saddens me very much, such cruelty.
Turtle Kill : 2/3/2010
Disgusting and somebody saw something. Dont be afraid to assist the authorities. A person could be next.The kind of people that do these things will not hesitate to do the same to a human.
Turtle kill a concern : 2/3/2010
So sad,my guess is that you already have trouble sleeping at night and will repeat your sick crime. However, i hope the law catches up with you before you can do this again.
Disregard for Precious Creation : 2/3/2010
Such a sad waste of nature. These turtle saboteurs should be dealt with harshly. There should be a turtle rescue vigilante team or at least a crew that patrols known turtle landing spots.
Barbados.......seeing that we are second in the Caribbean in turtle population, we have a great responsibility to protect these creatures that basically hatch on our shores and return as parents.
: 2/3/2010
Hanging dogs, mutilating and hanging monkeys, killing and gutting endangered turtles. Welcome to paradise, beautiful Barbados gem of the Caribbean sea.
Something Happening ! : 2/3/2010
First, it was a dog.Then it was the Monkey, and NOW its a turtle ?????? I can't believe this ! I thought RPB was just singing a song just to win the crown, but SOMETHING REALLY HAPPENING in this little country ! As wrestler Bill Goldberg would ask... who's next ???????????????????????????????
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