Two people were detained after allegedly removing 125 olive ridley sea turtle eggs without authorization from the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge in Guanacaste during one of the largest mass nesting events of the year. The arrests occurred Monday morning, September 7, during a surveillance operation at the refuge involving Costa Rican environmental officials and members of the Ostional community.
The two suspects, identified by the surnames González Vázquez and Carrillo Villarreal, were found carrying 125 olive ridley turtle eggs, an amount believed to have come from approximately two nests. Neither person belonged to the Ostional Integral Development Association nor had authorization to collect eggs from the beach.
Both were turned over to prosecutors through Costa Rica’s flagrancy procedure, which is used in cases where suspects are allegedly caught while committing an offense or immediately afterward. The arrests came as thousands of olive ridley turtles were arriving at Ostional for the September arribada, one of the most impressive wildlife events in Costa Rica.
The latest arribada began September 4 and was expected to continue for several nights. September traditionally produces some of the largest gatherings of turtles at Ostional, when large numbers of females emerge from the Pacific within a relatively short period to dig nests and lay their eggs.
The situation surrounding turtle eggs at Ostional can be confusing for visitors because Costa Rica allows a limited and closely controlled legal harvest at this particular refuge. Members of the local community participating in the authorized conservation program are permitted to collect a portion of olive ridley eggs during the early stages of certain arribadas.
The program exists because nesting density at Ostional can become so high that turtles arriving later frequently dig up and destroy nests deposited earlier. Under the management system, a controlled number of those early eggs can be collected and sold legally, while the community participates in protecting the beach and nesting turtles.
That exception does not mean anyone can collect turtle eggs. The legal harvest is restricted to the authorized community program and is subject to environmental controls, permits and traceability requirements. Removing eggs outside that system remains illegal. Ostional is one of the most important olive ridley nesting sites in the world. During an arribada, tens of thousands of turtles can reach the beach, with exceptionally large events bringing far greater numbers.
The Ostional National Wildlife Refuge protects approximately 468 hectares (1,157 acres) of land and 8,000 hectares (19,768 acres) of marine territory. It includes the beaches of Ostional, Nosara, Pelada and Guiones. The mass nesting also attracts visitors from around Costa Rica and abroad.
During nesting periods, visitors entering the protected beach are required to be accompanied by an accredited local guide. Flash photography, motor vehicles, horseback tours, fires and domestic animals are prohibited in protected sections of the refuge. Officials increase surveillance during the largest arribadas because the concentration of turtles and eggs can also attract unauthorized collectors.
The seizure of the 125 eggs highlights the distinction between Ostional’s internationally known community egg-management program and illegal collection from the nesting beach. The investigation involving the two suspects is now in the hands of prosecutors.
