The grisly discovery of a butchered Hawksbill sea turtle and its eggs along Sunset Crest beach in St James on Tuesday has sparked outrage from the research project to save the critically endangered creatures, the Barbados Sea Turtle Project.
In a Barbados TODAY interview on Thursday, project director Carla Daniel revealed that the large female turtle was found dead in the surf, with its back flippers removed and body cavity cut open, strongly suggesting poaching.
Police are currently investigating the case.
“The person that killed the turtle had a very sharp knife,” Daniel said. “It is possible that they were on the beach for other reasons and happened upon the turtle and decided to take a chance given that they had the knife. They may have killed the turtle for meat for themselves and friends or perhaps for distribution and we are unaware.”
Daniel expressed disbelief that such brutal poaching was still occurring in Barbados.
“I genuinely thought we were beyond this. However, there were two attempted poachings we are aware of in 2023,” she said, graphically recounting instances where turtles were attacked but survived.
“In one instance at the hotpot, two men tried to bludgeon a turtle to death, and in the second instance, a turtle was found severely injured in a canal in Paynes Bay. When the vet came to deal with the injury, it was recognised that the injury was caused by a cutlass lash to the top of its head.
“This is disappointing. This was not an accident but a deliberate killing. We thought that as Barbadians we have long recognised the value of these animals alive. They are important to our ecosystem, our tourism product and our economy . . . . I would like to reiterate that it is illegal to poach turtles.”
The butchered turtle had been tagged and documented by the project, showing it had nested twice in 2016 – once at the South Coast Boardwalk on June 7 and again at Sandy Beach two weeks later. Its eggs were reburied, though their survival is uncertain.
The incident occurred just days before the June to October 31 nesting season when many beaches become active with egg-laying sea turtles. Daniel urged Barbadians to act responsibly and avoid disturbing the reptiles.
Three species nest in Barbados – the critically endangered Hawksbill, along with the endangered Green and Leatherback turtles. Daniel said nest numbers have plummeted from around 50 per year in the late 1990s despite conservation efforts, blaming man-made obstacles like beach bonfires and vehicles as well as climate change impacts.
Though sea turtles typically have long lifespans, their offspring face extremely low odds of survival, with estimates that only one in 1 000 hatchlings lives long enough to reach reproductive maturity itself. Poaching incidents like this recent killing represent a major threat to the species’ fragile recovery.
Daniel reiterated that killing sea turtles is illegal in Barbados, and urged the public to report any nesting turtles, hatchlings or turtles in distress to the project’s 24-hour hotline at 230-0142.
Based at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, the Barbados Sea Turtle Project has pointed to human activities like strong beachfront lighting, bonfires, parking vehicles on the sand and leaving beach furniture obstructing paths as key man-made threats to successful nesting efforts. Climate change impacts like warmer summer temperatures and beach erosion are also taking a toll on the endangered species. Incidents like the recent brazen slaughter of a nesting female turtle represent a serious setback to efforts to preserve Barbados’ dwindling sea turtle populations.
Despite enhanced legal protections in recent decades, the archaic practice of harvesting turtles for their meat and eggs continues to plague endangered populations throughout the Caribbean. Conservationists have intensified public education campaigns to discourage consumption and promote eco-tourism focused on protecting sea turtle breeding habitats.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
