Adult turtle left for dead by poachers

Officers from the Royal Cayman Islands
Police Joint Marine Unit found an adult male green turtle speared through the
head last weekend.   

The male was fully grown and weighed
between 300 and 400 pounds, according to officers. 

Department of Environment Research and
Enforcement Officers met the police vessel in an effort to save the severely
injured turtle. However, the discovery on Sunday, 8 May, came too late for the
turtle, which died en route to the dock. 

According to environment officers, the
turtle had been shot with a speargun and also hit by the prop of a boat. Based
on their examination of the injuries, officers believe that poachers
deliberately speared the turtle in the head and then hit it with their prop as
they attempted to bring it onto their boat.  

The poachers were likely interrupted
while taking the turtle and fled the scene, leaving the turtle behind, officers
said. 

Turtle nesting populations in the
Cayman Islands are endangered and the loss of rare mature turtles threatens
their survival even further. The Department of Environment considers turtle
poaching to be among the most serious of marine conservation offences.  

Past cases of turtle poaching have
resulted in large fines, prison sentences and confiscation of vehicles and
boats used in the commission of the offence. 
 

Environment officers confirmed that
the speargun rod recovered from the turtle did not match any spears in the
Cayman Islands Speargun License database – suggesting that the turtle was
killed with an illegal, unlicensed spear.  

Anyone with information regarding this
incident is asked to make a report to DOE Chief Conservation Officer Mark Orr
(916-4271) or contact Crime Stoppers at 800–TIPS.  

Past cases of turtle poaching have
resulted in large fines, prison sentences and confiscation of vehicles and
boats.