Over 20,000 Leatherback Turtle Eggs Crushed by Bulldozers in Trinidad
Posted on July 10, 2012
Thousands of leatherback sea turtle eggs were crushed by bulldozers in Trinidad. Construction crews apparently did not notice they were digging up a leatherback turtle breeding ground when they were trying to divert a flooded river away from a nearby hotel where tourists had gathered to watch the turtles hatch. The Daily Mail says hotel guests were horrified as they watched the injured hatchlings die.
The beach is the densest breeding ground in the world for the protected turtle species. The AP says environmentalists are calling for an investigation as the construction workers were reportedly working unsupervised. The terrible accident could have easily been avoided if the careless crews had been told to avoid the part of the beach containing the buried eggs. Take a look:
You can find out more about leatherback turtles here.
- Tiny Crustacean Snaps Giant Claw Shut 10,000 Times Faster Than Blink of a Human Eye
- Wearable Robotic Third Arm Smashes Walls and Picks Vegetables
- Hexapod Robots Walk Faster With Flexible Feet
- Giant Hailstone From Argentina Could Set New World Record
- It Rains Liquid Iron on Exoplanet WASP-76b