4 World's Most Endangered Turtles
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Written by: Marina K. Villatoro
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Word Count: 459 |
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 |
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There are only seven species of sea turtles all over the world and only four of them have made Costa Rica their nesting place year after year.
REASON FOR DECLINING POPULATION
1. Their habitats are being taken over by humans. Due to its bright lights the turtles cannot come back to the beaches that are now used by humans.
2. They are constantly getting killed and caught up, as a matter of fact 65% of them getting hooked by lines of commercial fisheries, from those caught ones 20% dies.
3. Hunting and egg poaching is coming to a slow halt. Although, it's hard to break tradition and the turtle egg is hot on the black market which is believed to raise a man's libido.
4 TYPES OF TURTLES THAT COME TO COSTA RICA'S SHORES
Olive Ridley Turtle- These are the famous turtles known for their amazing numbers. They come to the shores of Santa Rosa National Park and Ostional National Wildlife Refuge by the hundreds of thousands from July to November. In an effort to save the animals, it is legal to harvest a limited amount of their eggs, which are for sale at local markets.
Leatherback Turtle - You can see this magical creature lay her eggs with a professional tour at the Playa Grande National Marine Park from December to March. This is the most endangered sea turtle in the world. They have been around for over 65 million years, yet in the past 20 years their numbers have declined from 1100 a season to 70 a season. Plus, they come to the shores of Tortuguero National Park.
Green Turtle- The scientist that started to come to Tortuguero National Park's shores to study these creatures since 1970's realized how quickly they were declining and how important of a coastline Tortuguero was. From the 70's to the 80's their numbers fell from 15,000 to 3,000. All the while, Caribbean Conservation Corporation fought to make this a national park, which it did in 1978. Since then the numbers have reached astounding numbers of 20,000.
Hawksbill Turtle- There are only 23,000 of these turtles left worldwide. From march to November they come to Marino Ballena National Park with an occasional appearance in Tortuguero.
Who knows if they might not be there next year, so come and meet them!
About the Author
Marina K. Villatoro, the Travel Experta, lives in Central America - Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She's traveled these parts extensively and now loves to organize vacations to these amazing parts of the world. Having first hand experience of all the places with her family, she can recommend the best options for you. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!
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