Scrambled turtle eggs & ham ...?

[V153]

Boy it's a good thing Floridians living Gulfside are required by law to dim their lights at night so as not to interrupt the egglaying turtles. I believe physically disturbing a turtle nest is a felony. (?!)

Now if we could just get those dang Costa Ricans to toe the line ...

[V153]

You'd think they at least have the *Censored* common courtesy to let the turtles finsh laying before poaching their nests?!

Oh well. Here's a thought provoking pic. See the buzzards ...?

[GIL_CV21]

no wonder they are endangered . its like that in Rhode Island with the asians stripping out the clam beds of everything , they even strip the rocks of tiny snails . the R/I clam cops cant work enough hours to stop it .

[V153]

Well Gil tiny snails are the best, dontcha know. From what I understand they got more 'ying' in em than the bigger ones ... 

[dorelse]

Just you know...trying to keep truth alive...the pictures are real...but what's happening isn't what it appears to be:

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/costa-rica-turtle-eggs.shtml

The capacity of the half mile Ostional beach is insufficient for the large number of nesting turtles and as a result many clutches are destroyed in the nesting process. As thousands upon thousands of Olive Ridley turtles climb on to a stretch of Playa Ostional, 70-80% of previously laid nests are crushed or dug up during the subsequent nesting. It is for this reason that the Egg Harvest Project is justified. Villagers wait and watch, harvesting the eggs laid in the first day and half of the arribada.

Over the years this practice has proven to increase the percentage of successful hatching by as much as 20%. Assessing a sea turtle population is a challenge, but nesting data in Ostional indicate a stable population. A major contribution to the success of the Egg Harvest Project is the lack of decomposing eggs. If the (sic) left unharvested, the early nests that are destroyed by later nesting females act as a source of bacteria that can contaminate the later nests

Under a law written especially for Ostional, the government allows an egg harvesting cooperative to collect all they can during the first 36 hours of every arribada. Coop members then truck the eggs around the country, selling them to bars and restaurants. In return, the community must protect the olive ridley. Coop members clean debris from the nesting areas and patrol the beach day and night for poachers. Forty days later, when the hatchlings emerge, children from the Ostional Primary school run to the beach.

Essentially...the beach is SO popular for turtle nests, the next nights turtles laying eggs destroy the previous nights nests.  The rotting eggs ruin the healthy ones, and they all die.  Turtle survival rates have actually gone up due to the villagers 'cleaning out' the beach for the later rounds of nests.  Its strictly controlled & managed by their wildlife & scientists agencies.  Seems like they take a great deal of pride & care in protecting & helping the turtle's nests.

[V153]

Well how about that? Thanks Doran!