Trampled, crushed with concrete blocks, and even burned by a campfire, turtle nests are destroyed on the Chuburná Puerto beach.
The culprits for this environmental damage were irresponsible vacationers who camped in an area marked as a hawksbill turtle nesting site.
This happened on the evening of Sunday, July 12, in a place where a group of subjects attacked a foreigner who takes care of the nests a week ago, just because he asked them to please do not damage the turtle nests.
In that area of the Chuburná beach each year, activists and nest keepers struggle with people who come on ATVs and some of them even drive their cars on the beach.
The people who damaged the nests on Sunday night, in addition to not abiding by the prevention provisions by Covid-19, trampled on areas where turtles had hatched, which are marked by the keepers.
These people placed concrete blocks on top of the nests and lit a bonfire. The damage was not detected until Monday afternoon.
All affected nests were a total loss, as hawksbill nests are usually not very deep. After an account of the damage, the activists turned to the environmental authorities to proceed with this attack against the natural resources of the state.
The hawksbill turtle, which is one of those that nest on the Yucatan coast, is listed as an endangered species, so poaching and looting of its nests is considered a federal crime.
When they spawn, each turtle can lay 120 eggs. We are currently in the middle of the nesting period.
If only one nest had been affected by predatory vacationers, the damage could be calculated in the deaths of more than 100 embryos. But apparently, it was more than one nest affected by these people who should be at home.
A week ago, subjects attacked a foreigner after asking them not to damage the nests and to take their trash when they retired from the beach.
This request greatly annoyed the individuals, who insulted and physically assaulted the foreigner, who is a volunteer vigilante in the area.
