No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsCrimeSea Shepherd names latest turtle campaign after murdered Costa Rican conservationist Jairo...

Sea Shepherd names latest turtle campaign after murdered Costa Rican conservationist Jairo Mora

The environmental group Sea Shepherd will patrol beaches during this year’s turtle nesting season in the name of murdered Costa Rican conservationist Jairo Mora.

The group announced “Operation Jairo” on April 23 and asked for volunteers to help patrol beaches against poachers and other dangers in southeastern Florida, Honduras and Costa Rica.

“Sea Shepherd’s Operation Jairo campaign will span the peak nesting or hatching months for sea turtles in all three locations, in an effort to save as many hatchlings as possible – giving the next generations of these endangered species a fighting chance at survival,” the organization wrote on its website.

For the first time, the group will patrol Moín Beach in Costa Rica’s Limón province, the beach where Mora was brutally killed — allegedly by a group of poachers — in 2013.

In January, a criminal court acquitted seven men of Mora’s murder, citing reasonable doubt. The court also scolded the government for botching the investigation and trial proceedings.

Sea Shepherd will be patrolling from mid-July to mid-September in Fort Lauderdale, and from May 31st until September in Honduras and Costa Rica.

In Costa Rica, volunteers hope to protect hawksbill, green and leatherback sea turtles on Pacuare and Moín beaches. Poachers are the main threat.

Five out of seven species of sea turtles are endangered, and three of them —hawksbill, kemp’s ridley and leatherback — are listed as critically endangered.

Sea Shepherd has had a rocky relationship with the Costa Rican government. The organization’s founder, Paul Watson, is wanted by the government on charges of attempted shipwrecking in an incident that occurred off the coast of Guatemala in 2002.

In June 2014, Watson began a Facebook campaign to get people to ask Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís to drop the country’s extradition request. The request still stands.

Watson told Costa Rica’s Channel 7 last week that his life would be in danger if he returned to Costa Rica. He said poachers have maintained a $25,000 bounty on his head since 2002.

 

 

 

Trending Now

Are Boomers Changing Costa Rica? One Expat’s Unfiltered Take

According to the most recent demographic study, over 20% of all US citizens are classified as within the Boomer age range. Every year, many...

Honduran teen deported by US feels like foreigner in native country

Emerson Colindres had just finished high school when he was sent back to Honduras by the United States, a country that he had called...

Costa Rica Congressional President Rodrigo Arias Loses U.S. Visa

Rodrigo Arias, president of Costa Rica’s Congress, got unexpected news on July 9: the U.S. Embassy emailed him to say his visa was canceled....

U.S. Foreign Investment Fuels Costa Rica’s Growth—But at What Cost?

Costa Rica has reached a new milestone in foreign direct investment (FDI), recording more than $4.3 billion in inflows in 2024—a 14% increase from...

US and Panama Begin Joint Exercises to Protect Panama Canal

US forces teamed up with Panamanian police for fresh military drills focused on safeguarding the Panama Canal, starting amid ongoing debates about foreign influence...

Good Timing Leads to Rare Snake Encounter in Costa Rica

When it comes to viewing wildlife in person, timing is everything. There’s a great big world out there and the chances of you being...
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