Nesting loggerhead lost to poachers on Brac

| 25/07/2022 | 56 Comments
Loggerhead turtle

(CNS): Poachers on Cayman Brac caught one of the very few loggerhead turtles that nest on that island as she crawled up the beach to lay her eggs Wednesday night, the Department of Environment has said. DoE enforcement officers and the police followed up on the report early Thursday morning but with no success.

Loggerhead turtles, which evolved more than 30 million years ago, are now in danger of extinction worldwide. Experts believe that fewer than 30 mature females currently nest on the Brac, so the loss of even one is a severe blow.

“Losing mature nesting turtles to poachers is one of the greatest threats facing this population and may lead to their extinction,” the DoE said in a social media post.

The loggerhead sea turtle is a Part 1 protected species, which means that it is protected at all times under the National Conservation Act. Take of any kind, incidental or intentional, is a breach of this law and is a prosecutable offence.

Please report the suspicious sale of turtle meat or eggs to 925-3647 or 911.


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Category: Marine Environment, Science & Nature

Comments (56)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The ocean is what our people have always resorted to in hard times of old which have come back now.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Lots of hand wringing from those from other lands living in luxury abodes.

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    • Anon says:

      You just don’t understand ecology do you Bubba?
      That’s why you will always be an uneducated Neanderthal and hopefully extinct yourself in a few years.

  2. Anonymous says:

    The 11 page leaflet that represents PACT’s National Conservation Regulations 2022, and a decade of DoE advocacy (with Royal Gongs), is truly the worst of Cayman corruption in publication. Shameful and embarrassing, doesn’t even begin to cover it. DoE would have a central negotiator on this working group for years, and then were complicit in its Gazetting, I guess hoping nobody thought anyone would read it?:

    http://gazettes.gov.ky/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/13140687.PDF

    Page 9 makes specific reference to certain persons that can be licensed or permitted to slaughter critically endangered Loggerhead Turtles between December and March of every year. There is also very deliberate provision for the “Council” to allow special people complete immunity to do whatever they want.

    Section 13 gives specific immunity to bird poacher friends.

    The public should be infuriated, and ACC should open an investigation into who directed these anti-conservation provisions to be put in. I think we can guess though…

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  3. Anonymous says:

    People just need to be nicer to animals here.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    what do you expect when cig promotes/subsidises the eating of an endangered species????
    another day in wonderland…..

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  5. Johnny the Wad says:

    No way a Caymanian was involved in that. Most certainly an ex pat.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Those pesky Canadians again, no doubt.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You have got to be effing kidding me! Most expats absolutely abhor the idea of farming, killing or eating turtles while Caymanians have glorified it.
      Take responsibility for our own bad apples and bad attitudes and stop blaming others.

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    • am says:

      Straight up joker….

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’m not a native Caymanian so class me as an ex pat. I wouldn’t have a clue how to catch it or if I did what the hell to do with it. I don’t eat turtle because I know it’s endangered. Keep on taking things illegally and there will be nothing left for future generations to see apart from pictures.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Damn those pesky expats and their insatiable thirst for poaching and eating protected animals!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Might you have a full belly and guilty conscious…

      Look in the mirror for blame.

  6. Orrie Merren says:

    Very unfortunate and saddened to learn of this. We need to protect and promote conservation of the wildlife and sea biodiversity of the Cayman Islands.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    The National Conservation Act was Gazetted into Law in 2013.

    Schedule 1 Part 1 prohibits the taking of ALL SPECIES OF MARINE TURTLES, not just Loggerheads.

    There is no legal Turtle fishing season anywhere in the Cayman Islands, at any time, not even in the Brac.

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  8. Spot Bay. says:

    What are we supposed to starve? You can’t tell me that only 30 exist on the Brac.

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    • Anonymous says:

      We know there’s now less than 30.

      We also know there’s at least several ignorant, selfish, pricks on the Brac too.

      There’s malnutrition alright in Cayman, but nobody is starving.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I can’t wait for the day that Caymanians blame someone when they can no longer eat turtle; cause its coming Bobo.

      Looks like you will starve to death…oh wait; I forgot we don’t only eat turtle 3 times a day.

      You probably one of them who claims taking 400 conch is to feed their family too right?

      Donkey.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Get a job a hole!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Sometimes I have trouble getting enough for me and my children to eat, so we have to cut back a little on some things. But we don’t eat turtle. All of my children agree with me, too.

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    • H says:

      Can always go after the plentiful free range chickens…

  9. Anonymous says:

    Unfortunately, we’ve all met Braccers so acutely stunted, that they would gladly harvest the last Loggerhead on the IUCN Red List, just for the cultural bragging rights at the Coral Isle bar. They might wager rightly/wrongly that the Central American hoochie-momma behind the counter will be into it – sparking a lively bar debate among competitor courtiers about which illegal turtle catch tastes better after they process and adulterate with scotch bonnet, onion, dough, frier oil, and serve glazed with a thick slab of jerk mayo. Basically, the stuff of drunk dunce men. DoE and police should know where to find them around 5 o’clock. How many venues were there to brag about something like this?

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Idiots . I am sure everyone there knows who did this . NO EXCUSE ! Turn them in.

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  11. MP says:

    There’s what, 2,000 Brackers? Someone reading this knows the poacher.

    You know a person who, knowing that there’s just 30 (29 now) that come up on the beach, thought that they should kill the turtle.

    You know a person who only thinks of themselves, only of the moment they are in. In short, you know a dangerous psychopath. If you value our islands, if you value your own safety, turn them in.

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    • Anonymous says:

      …and almost certainly some puffed-up man trying to impress, so immediately trim that suspect universe in half…

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  12. Anonymous says:

    The cant tell me nuthin nation lives on!

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  13. Anonymous says:

    Brackers make their own laws

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    • Anonymous says:

      Brackers also receive almost no resources towards outreach, education or research, are regularly ignored, overlooked and have no platform to speak. Instead of being given real opportunities to get involved Brackers are sent “experts” from elsewhere who think they know best. They are basically set up to fail and then get a finger wagging when it happens…it’s systemic, nothing new. It’s absolutely no wonder so many on this island feel resigned.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Barbarians

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  15. Anonymous says:

    Tha them duppies again! Lol…man fellow brackers…leave them turtles alone….but it a catch all…man destroying everything we depend on to survive…the atmosphere…seas…trees to produce oxygen….all in yhe name of greed!

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  16. Anonymous says:

    another story to make a mockery of the caymankind mantra…

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  17. Anonymous says:

    Welcome back to the old time when the sea was our living

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    • Anonymous says:

      And your sea is diminshed by your greed.

      Turn em in. Stop talking.

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      • Anonymous says:

        No dumbass it’s diminished because of over development but go ahead and keep drinking the koolaid.

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        • Anonymous says:

          It diminished because thousands of turtles were being harvested each year and shipped overseas for $$$ and these turtles take 25 years to reproduce. Too many were taken too quickly without regard for sustainability. Development doesn’t help but the problem started long before that.

      • Anonymous says:

        Devil’s advocate.

        What if the person took the animal to feed his family?

        How is this worse than rampant destruction of mangroves eliminating storm protection and animal habitats, or cruise ships dropping anchors on the reefs?

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Caymanians vs Caymanians. Caymanian Developers against the public and now Caymanians Turtles vs Caymanian Fishermen.

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