Baby Leatherback Turtles Die by the Thousands in Trinidad Blunder

By Sara Tan Jul 10th 2012

According to The (U.K.) Guardian, conservationists report that Trinidad Beach is home to one of the largest nesting areas for living sea turtles. Sadly, thousands of leatherback turtle eggs and hatchlings were crushed by bulldozers recently.

Government work crews were using the heavy machinery to redirect a river that was shifting towards a hotel, threatening its existence. But according to conservationists who monitor turtle populations, the crews did a careless job and dug up an unnecessarily large area of the nesting beach in the tiny coastal town.

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Ironically, the guests who stay at this hotel come from all over the world to see the endangered turtles lay their eggs.

A member of the Grand Riviere Environmental Organization estimates that some 20,000 eggs were destroyed or consumed by vultures and dogs.

Although the hotel was the reason for all the work, they were still shocked and saddened by how the matter was handled. Italian hotelier Piero Guerrini told the Guardian, "For some reason they dug up the far end of the beach, absolutely encroaching into the good nesting areas. This could have been avoided with a much wiser approach. But it was done too late and it was done in the wrong way."

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