A recent rash of sea turtle slaughters by bandits on horseback has spurred Mexican authorities into action. In the past three months, carcasses of at least 500 sea turtles have been found on Mexico’s Pacific and Atlantic coastlines, including 111 Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) turtles along a single, 1.2-mile (2-km) stretch of beach near Petatlán, in Guerrero state. Turtle conservationists in the region filed complaints with the Federal Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa) this month, claiming a gang of about 10 mounted men use rifles and machetes to kill the endangered reptiles on unprotected beaches. Mexico’s Environmental and Natural Resources Secretariat (Semarnat) announced it has asked the Navy and Army to protect the beaches of Petatlán, considered one... [Log in to read more]
