Thanks to the fine folks at One World One Ocean and MacGillivray Films for taking this incredible journey to the middle of nowhere to film a leatherback turtle hatch her eggs.
Would you give up law school for a job like this?
(I know I would give up my copy-editing job.)Happy weekend all.
Enjoy my Video Pick-of-the-Week.
That was awesome!
I think so too! XO
I was lucky enough to work on a sea turtle conservation project in Costa Rica for a month (thanks to Whole Foods Market). I never got to see a leatherback laying, but I did see green shells laying, and I did get to relocate a leatherback’s eggs. They must be relocated to a locked “nursery” of sorts to prevent poachers from stealing them. Poachers can sell them for $1 per egg (or more), and they can lay up to 100 eggs. It’s a big and scary business. I wonder if this film will get into the poaching issue? Maybe it can help.
Here’s a frightening yet amazing article. http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/nature/Blood-in-the-Sand-Costa-Rica-Hunting-Sea-Turtles.html
Just one excerpt from the Outside magazine article: “For decades, Playa Moín has been a destination for hueveros—literally, ‘egg men’—small-time poachers who plunder sea turtle nests and sell the eggs for a dollar each as an aphrodisiac. But as crime along the Caribbean coast has risen, so has organized egg poaching, which has helped decimate the leatherback population. By most estimates, fewer than 34,000 nesting females remain worldwide.”
Wow-lucky you! I classify that as a dream job. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.