Underthecoverofdarkness,athiefwaits.HiseyesscantheNicaraguanbeach.Beforelong,hespotswhatheislookingfor.Agreenseaturtleisdiggingalargenest.Shebeginstolayhereggsinthenest.Thethiefcomescloser.Themotherturtlefallsintoatrancewhileshelayshereggs.Shedoesnotnoticethe thief.

Thethiefreachesintothenestandbeginstopulltheeggsout,onebyone,andplacetheminawovenbasket.Theturtlemotherlaysherlasteggandusesherbackflipperstocoverthenest.Shethinkshereggsaresafe.Shedoesnotknowthatthenestisnowempty,andthethiefhastakeneverylasteggto sell.

CARIBBEAN
SEA

PACIFIC
OCEAN

HONDURAS

Nicaragua

Costa Rica

Chacocente

La Flor

Beaches where
seaturtles nest

ChacocenteandLaFlorareareasfamousfortheirseaturtles.Oliveridleyturtlescometothesebeachesbythethousandstolaytheireggsduringarribadas.Arribadameans“arrival”in Spanish.

Struggle
forSurvival

Seaturtleshavelivedinouroceansformillionsofyears.Butnowtheyareamongthemostendangeredspeciesonourplanet.Asfewasonein10,000babyseaturtleswillsurvivetoadulthood.Theyfacemanythreats.Aftertheyhatch,theymustcrawlfromtheirneststotheocean.Birdsandotheranimalstrytoeatthemfirst.Iftheyoungturtlesmakeittotheocean,theyfaceotherpredatorsinthewater.Somedieinfishingnets.Othersdiefromeatingplastic trash.

Today,allbutoneoftheworld’ssevenseaturtlespeciesareintrouble,accordingtotheIUCNRedList.Andtheonethat’snot—theflatbackseaturtle—islistedas “datadeficient.”Thatmeansscientistssimplydon’thaveenoughinformationtoknowhowitisdoing.OfthefourspeciesthatcometoNicaraguatolaytheireggs,leatherbacksandhawksbillsareclassifiedas“criticallyendangered.”Greenseaturtlesare“endangered.”Oliveridleyseaturtlesare “vulnerable.”

Greenseaturtlesareanendangered species.

Somefemaleoliveridleyseaturtlesnestin groups.

Ofallthedangersseaturtlesface,thegreatestthreatispeople.Peopleinsomecultureseatseaturtleeggs.AcrossCentralAmerica,poachers destroymorethan90 percentofseaturtlenestsonunguardedbeaches.Theeggsaresmuggledintocitieswheretheyareeatenin restaurants.

Itonlytakesonepoachertocausealotofdamage.Astretchofcoastlinemayhaveonlyafewfemaleturtles.Ifonepersonweretosystematicallyrobeverynest,thatpersoncouldsingle-handedlythreatenaspecies.Poachersmakebetween50centsandtwodollarsperdozeneggs.Butthedemandforseaturtleeggsissohigh,asingleeggcanbesoldforasmuchas $300.

Littleisknownabouttheroutespoachersuseorthefinaldestinationsforthesmuggledeggs.So,thepoachersarehardtocatch.Eatingtheeggsissoingrainedinsomeculturesthatevenwhencaught,thepoachersarerarelypunished.Givenallthesefactors,theriskstoturtleeggsseemedinsurmountable.Untilonescientisthadan idea.