Two volunteers for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were injured during a confrontation with poachers in Costa Rica last Thursday, on the organization鈥檚 website. Costa Rica鈥檚 population of leatherback sea turtles has suffered greatly in recent years聽from the activities of egg poachers, who rob turtle eggs from nests on the beach to sell as an aphrodisiac.
Sea Shepherd, an ocean conservationist group specializing in direct-action tactics, reported that the volunteers were patrolling Pacuare Beach when more than ten poachers, wielding branches and machetes,聽attacked them without provocation. The poachers shots at the guards after a security guard working for Sea Shepherd fired eight shots into the sand聽in an effort to scare the attackers away. (This isn鈥檛 the first time protecting sea turtle eggs has triggered violence. In 2013, an activist was murdered on Costa Rica鈥檚 Playa Mo铆n, 国产吃瓜黑料 reported.)
Although two were injured鈥攊ncluding Brett Bradley, the ground leader for Operation Jairo (Sea Shepherd鈥檚 turtle defense campaign), and media crewmember Ellen Campbell鈥擝radley has since confirmed that all volunteers have been looked after聽and are undeterred.聽
鈥淭he criminal poachers targeting Costa Rica鈥檚 endangered sea turtles are becoming increasingly frustrated that Sea Shepherd鈥檚 ground crew volunteers are standing in the way of their illegal activities,鈥 David Hance, campaign coordinator for聽Sea Shepherd,聽said in the release. 鈥淥ur team reports that after experiencing this violence at the hands of the poachers, they are more determined than ever to continue to protect the turtles.鈥
Sea Shepherd鈥檚 representatives traced the attack to an encounter on June 4 with a poacher on Pacuare Beach.聽They prevented him from stealing leatherback sea turtle eggs by physically surrounding the female turtle until it had finished nesting and returned to the ocean. Later in the month, a confidential informant told the group that poachers were planning to pursue聽a strategy of physical intimidation, after which the group informed the Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ). The group will file another complaint with OIJ in Bataan, Limon, following Thursday鈥檚 attack.