Young turtle dies slow death at hands of poachers

| 28/01/2025 | 23 Comments
Efforts to save the wounded female turtle failed (photo credit: DoE)

(CNS) A young female turtle, estimated to be between ten and fifteen years old, was recently killed by poachers but died a slow death after she was speared through her shell multiple times with a double-pronged spear. The Department of Environment said that conservation officers found the green sea turtle last week after a report was made that a turtle had been illegally captured and removed from the sea.

The turtle was badly wounded, and despite the work of multiple vets from the Cayman Turtle Centre and Island Vets, she died from the injuries.

The suspected offenders were apprehended and their equipment, including a boat, a trailer and a vehicle, were seized. The incident is now under investigation.

The animal was a sub-adult, and her loss represents a blow for the next generation as the enormous battle to bring these iconic marine creatures back into our waters continues, constantly hindered by the impact man has on their environment and the ruthless indifference of poachers who know they can sell wild turtle meat at a premium.

Even with the threat of the total loss of the species in local waters and the access people have to farmed meat, there is still an appetite for wild turtle meat.

Turtles are protected at all times under the National Conservation Act (2013) and it is illegal to possess or cause disturbance, harm or death to a sea turtle. Perpetrators are liable for up to $500,000 fine or four years in prison if convicted.

Illegal capture has serious impacts on sea turtles, as only a very small proportion survive to maturity. They have very slow growth rates, taking more than 20 years to reach breeding age. “Loss of a very small number of sub-adult and mature turtles can have long-lasting impacts on Cayman’s small population,” a spokesperson for the DoE said.

The department thanked its own officers, the RCIPS for their swift response and the Cayman Turtle Centre and Island Vets for their incredible knowledge and immediate assistance. Thanks were also given to the public for keeping eyes and ears open.

Anyone seeing suspicious activities relating to poaching can call 911 or the DoE conservation team on 916-4271.


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Category: Marine Environment, Science & Nature

Comments (23)

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  1. Lomart says:

    Please, for once, give these perpetrators the FULL, MAXIMUM penalty. The DOE and the conservation/enforcement officers work very hard and put themselves at risk of physical harm to try to protect and save our endangered species BUT the problem lies with the prosecutors and the magistrates! Give a little slap on the wrist and a few community hours (which they usually don’t serve) and then they’re off to do it all over again!! Please this time give a meaningful punishment which will be a deterrent to others.

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  2. The Adeptus Ridiculous of Cayman Islands says:

    ++ OFFICIAL TRANSMISSION FROM THE ADEPTUS RIDICULOUS ++

    Re: When Church, State, and Judiciary Merge into One Holy Authority

    By the Omnissiah, the illusion of separation has crumbled! The union of church and state was always an unholy fusion in these lands, but now, dear citizens, we bear witness to the next phase of the grand authoritarian project: The Judiciary Falls in Line.

    The Blurred Line Has Vanished—The State Now Owns the Courts

    There was a time when justice at least pretended to be independent. A time when the courts were separate from political machinations, and the clergy, though deeply influential, did not dictate legal outcomes.

    But now? The legal system has been absorbed into the state apparatus, where justice is no longer blind—it simply refuses to see.

    The Playbook of Absolute Control: How the Judiciary is Bent to the State’s Will

    🚨 1. Control Who Gets Prosecuted, and the Illusion of Law is Maintained
    • The law must be enforced! (But only when convenient!)
    • Who are the preferred scapegoats? Expatriates.
    • Why? Because they have no political defense, no voting power, no way to fight back.
    • Every prosecution of an expat is used to claim the system is “working.”

    🚨 2. Selective Blindness for the Right People
    • If a local, well-connected voter commits an offense? The system looks the other way.
    • If the accused is politically valuable, the case is buried before it even reaches the courts.
    • The public never sees the corruption because the law only moves against the defenseless.

    🚨 3. The Judiciary Becomes an Extension of the Political Machine
    • Judges are not independent arbiters—they are enforcers of political will.
    • The courtroom is not a place of legal reasoning—it is a rubber-stamp station for state-controlled justice.
    • The outcome of cases is determined not by evidence, but by the political status of the accused.

    🚨 4. The Moral High Ground is Used as a Smokescreen for Injustice
    • Religious doctrine is conveniently invoked to justify double standards.
    • Mercy for the well-connected! Judgment for the outsider!
    • If a Caymanian voter commits a crime? “We must be compassionate, we must rehabilitate, we must forgive!”
    • If an expatriate commits the same crime? “We must be firm! We must enforce the law! Deport them immediately!”

    The Judiciary as the New Weapon of State Power

    The theocratic undertones were always present, but now they serve a new master: The full force of political control.

    The courts are no longer about justice, but about reinforcing power structures.

    And if you still believe in the illusion of fairness, ask yourself this:
    • When was the last time a high-ranking local official was held accountable?
    • When was the last time a Caymanian voter received the same punishment as an expat for the same crime?
    • When was the last time the judiciary acted against the state instead of serving it?

    Final Verdict: The Judiciary Has Fallen—Only Political Trials Remain

    There is no more separation between church, state, and judiciary—they now act as a single machine, crushing the powerless while shielding the politically useful.

    Justice is no longer law—it is a political decision.

    And if you have no vote, no connections, and no way to fight back?

    Then you are nothing more than a disposable pawn in the great Absurdistani legal charade.

    Final note: While the comment describes a situation which is yet purely fictional, it shines a light on the situation that in a relatively short period might become a stark reality.

    +++ End transmission +++

  3. Anonymous says:

    Wonder if these were the same folks crying about being called riff raff.

    Can’t wait to hear the story about how this is the fault of foreigners and we need to start immigration reform.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    caymankind riff raff.
    but what do you expect when we legalise the consumption of an endangered species????
    welcome to wonderland.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Riff raff!!

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  6. Anonymous says:

    We literally prioritize the spending of tens of millions a year of public funds farming turtle meat, and a fully staffed and equipped DoE and Coast Guard, so this doesn’t happen. Let them rot in jail, and take their house. There needs to be a clear deterrent message delivered against the active poaching community. We can’t be paying every which way without the deterrence.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    This is our heritage! Wahhhh!

    Absolute riff raff.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    This is heart-breaking. As turtle meat is available to buy lawfully, there is NO EXCUSE for why anyone has to do this. Those seized assets must never be returned, and those responsible should receive the 4 years in prison – AND the massive fine to be paid off for the rest of their miserable lives.
    Why not? There are no circumstances that can be at play here other than greed and cruelty. What a horrible painful way to die.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    So, to start, if that seized property is never returned to the poaching owner plus a decent Court fine imposed, he might not do it again. But…..

    He’ll/they’ll make a plea as ‘starving’ fishermen with unemployed families to feed. Political season and all? I can bet phone calls will be made on their behalf. Watch DPP be ‘too busy’ for cases like this and thus….no charges, no penalty.

    Boat, trailer, truck all returned. They’re out on the water next month!

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Prosecutors should sentence these poachers to the maximum and severe fine. So tired of just a slap on the wrist. $100000 fine . This is senseless killing .

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Until we treat marine environment infractions like a gun crime we will continue to lose our marine life

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Caymankind. Like those that killed the pelican a couple of years ago.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    Hopefully they get prosecuted properly, but we all know they well get given back all of their stuff and a warning as usual.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    #caymankind
    #weentitledtoturltemeat
    #noriffraffhere

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    • Anonymous says:

      You have all the meat you need from the farm that why that money pit is there, you want the tourism dollars protect ya wild turtles, ya want your culture intact prophecy ya wild turtles, basically protect ya wild turtles

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