No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaCosta Rica's Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge renamed to honor conservationist

Costa Rica’s Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge renamed to honor conservationist

According to Costa Rica’s National Nomenclature Committee, as of Monday, the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge will officially be known as the Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge.

The renaming of the refuge honors slain turtle conservationist Jairo Mora, who was killed May 31 while patrolling Moín Beach, on the northern Caribbean coast, to protect nesting leatherback turtles and their eggs.

Though the Environment Ministry originally planned to designate a protected area at Moín and name it for the conservationist, Mora’s family, originally from Gandoca-Manzanillo, requested their son’s homage to be closer to home. 

Located seven miles south of Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, the 12,382-acre-park is a popular nesting spot for green, hawksbill, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles. Mora grew up near the park and learned conservation at a young age from his grandfather, who was instrumental in founding the refuge, according to Mora’s friends. 

He died at the age of 26, the victim of an attack by known turtle poachers, who target Moín Beach during turtle nesting season to steal eggs and sell them on the black market for $1 a piece. Two months after the attack, which also targeted four foreign volunteers who escaped unharmed, police arrested eight suspects in the killing. Seven remain in custody pending trial. 

Poachers can earn up to $100 a night during nesting seasons. Customers of the illegal trade wrongly believe sea turtle eggs have aphrodisiacal powers when consumed. 

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Costa Rica and Panama Seek Gold Cup Glory Against North American Giants

With no Caribbean teams advancing, a Central American contingent made up of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala heads into the quarterfinals of the...

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Costa Rica’s Eyelash Viper Snake Is One of the Most Beautiful

There are at least 141 different species of snakes in Costa Rica. With that large number of species packed into such a tiny nation,...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Costa Rica Maintains Economic Stability Amid Global Tensions

Costa Rica is holding steady economically despite global tensions sparked by conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, according to Federico Quesada Chaves,...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica