Hum Tum

An egg harvest by villagers at Ostional beach,

a remote community near Punta Gurones on Costa Rica's Pacific coast (U.S)….

The Costa Rican government initiated the Egg Harvest Project

which allowed villagers to continue their traditional practice of harvesting eggs.

The harvests are strictly controlled, with villagers only allowed to take eggs

 within the first day and a half of each egg laying event, known as an "arribada".

The capacity of the half mile Ostional beach is insufficient for the large number of nesting turtles

and thus many clutches are destroyed in the nesting process.

As thousands upon thousands of Olive Ridley turtles climb on to a stretch of beach,

70-80% of previously laid nests are crushed or dug up during the subsequent nesting.

It is for this reason that the Egg Harvest Project is justified.

Villagers wait and watch, harvesting the eggs laid in the first day and half of the arribada.

Over the years this practice has proven to increase the percentage of successful hatching by as much as 20%.

A major contribution to the success of the Egg Harvest Project is the lack of decomposing eggs.

Otherwise the decomposed eggs develop bacteria and contaminate rest of the eggs as well.

The Egg Harvest Project at Ostional helps to protect and sustain this precious species.

The project represents an innovative, and so far successful approach to species protection.

But it is very shameful that a mail having same pictures is being circulated with a message -

" World Wide shame in COSTA RICA 

On the beaches of Costa Rica...so that you have an idea of the 'attack against nature'....!

The Turtle eggs are stolen to be sold

Please send it to every one. STOP THEM!!!"

Spreading such misinformation in the form of this inflammatory and misleading protest message

will serve only to divert attention away from genuine environmental concerns.