Tourists on vacation in Costa Rica illegally present at the laying of the protected species have disrupted the animals as to make them abandon a ritual nevertheless essential to their survival.
What does the basic tourist when he crosses a rare animal in its natural environment? It takes a picture with. And if he can, he brings back a song. For remembrance. Imagine the scene a thousand times, it gives the terrifying spectacle that the Costa Rican authorities have had to endure, powerless, of the first weekend of September. The incident occurred on a beach in the nature reserve of Ostional, in western Costa Rica, where every year takes place an extraordinary event: the laying of olive ridley sea turtles. This protected species as vulnerable always comes at the same time to mate and to nest in this heavenly place, one of the few places not yet threatened by pollution, industrialization, mass or fishing. The ritual, Millennium is, it was understood, essential for its survival.
But this year, spawning does not take place as usual hundreds of tourists, sent there by tour operators , invaded the scene and disturbed animals, blocking their advance, Sometimes asking children on their backs, some enjoying to steal eggs. Many turtles, frightened, made a U-turn. A "real disaster", according to a local guide quoted by the New York Times. "The chance for sea turtles to avoid the extinction destroyed by selfie" headlines the Daily Mail. One might add, "a selfie and poor picture with instagram filter".
Local authorities, for their part, have launched an investigation and promised it would not happen again. "We will re-evaluate how we work and address the issue," promised the New York Times Mauricio Méndez, deputy director of the protected natural area, normally inaccessible to ordinary mortals, unless you have a powerful 4x4 led by a local guide. What is it then happened? "The nesting season of olive ridley, which runs from August to October, usually coinciding with the rainy season in Costa Rica, which normally provide a natural barrier that protects the turtles and eggs. The beach is then surrounded by the rising tide and the adjacent river overflows, preventing access on bridges, says the local newspaper the Tico Time, the source of the information. But this year, low rainfall caused by El Niño has caused the drying up of the river bed, which made access to the beach easier. " On September 7, the day the picture accompanying this article was taken, only two rangers guarding the entrance of the park. The New York Times, Mauricio Méndez has promised new measures to prevent the tourists to come back for the next wave of lay planned on or around October 4.
