NewsWhore
09-27-2010, 02:30 PM
Ministry of Environment officials and dozens of volunteers made a wonderful discovery over the weekend while taking part in the International Beaches Cleanup Day. They found eight small hawksbill (carey) turtles at Guibia Beach in the heart of downtown Santo Domingo. The turtles are on the Endangered Species list and thought to be close to extinction because of a loss of breeding areas and human depredation.
The discovery of the eight turtles was the highlight of the beach cleanup that took place at 67 beaches around the country. The area where the turtles were found, according to Hoy, was near a place where the National District government was doing some work and because of this, that particular section of the beach was cut off from use.
According to observers from the ministry's Bio-Diversity and Wildlife Department, including Jose Manuel Mateo, the beach is a nesting area for the hawksbill turtles but humans capture and sell the creatures and their eggs if they are found. Because of this, the Dominican Republic has been denounced in the DR-CAFTA agreement, and the authorities seize anything made with turtle shells.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)
The discovery of the eight turtles was the highlight of the beach cleanup that took place at 67 beaches around the country. The area where the turtles were found, according to Hoy, was near a place where the National District government was doing some work and because of this, that particular section of the beach was cut off from use.
According to observers from the ministry's Bio-Diversity and Wildlife Department, including Jose Manuel Mateo, the beach is a nesting area for the hawksbill turtles but humans capture and sell the creatures and their eggs if they are found. Because of this, the Dominican Republic has been denounced in the DR-CAFTA agreement, and the authorities seize anything made with turtle shells.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)