Turtle Killers Caught and Awaiting Trial!

In August, two local construction workers killed an Olive Ridley sea turtle near the Parque Hawaii. The female turtle had arrived on shore to lay her eggs and the young men, frustrated that she did not lay her eggs, used a broken bottle to kill her and extract her eggs.

Together with furious local residents, ARCAS staff detained the men and called the police. The detainees are currently in jail awaiting trial. The 116 extracted eggs were buried in the Hawaii Hatchery and successfully hatched in late September.

*The Bloody Eggs*

Egg Ban In Guatemala!!

The National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) issued a ban on sea turtle egg collection between October 15, 2012 and October 15, 2017 of the species Leatherback (

Dermochelys coriacea), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Green (Chelonia mydas), Black (Chelonia mydas agassizzii), and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta). Stating that the exploitation of eggs of these species is a threat to their survival and that this has caused "a marked decrease in their populations," it announced it is taking "necessary and urgent" measures for their protection and conservation. The ban authorizes the collection of olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtle eggs during the same five years, but only if collectors give 20 percent of the eggs collected to a registered hatchery. ARCAS has been working with CONAP and the USAID/MAREA project to strengthen sea turtle conservation efforts in Guatemala.