Posted by rustyandjulie on December 6, 2007, 9:36 pm
189.162.35.9
The Facts: Yes, the Delagado did instruct the police to put poison on the beach in the area surrounding the Turtle egg hatching area. At least 5 dogs died because of this poison. Owners of dogs seen killing live turtles and invading turtle nests and eating eggs were warned that the Delagado would take action if they did not control their dogs. Owners denied any involvement. There are at least 10 dogs that are starving due to owners not able to provide enough food for them to subsist north of the turtle hatching area. Yes, mistakes were made. I believe that the Mayor, Gustavo, will stand by his word that this indiscriminate poisoning will not happen again. From his reaction I truly believe he realizes he made a mistake. At the time he thought he had no other alternatives. The Delagado's goal, for whatever reason, was to preserve the eggs and turtles. They are very proud of the number of hatchlings they have released. That is a very good thing! We, Dave Collins and myself, were told that within another week the remaining eggs would hatch. After that all eggs layed on the beach would be moved to the new area in Boca de Iquanas where a biologist from Manzanillo is now in charge of protecting the eggs in a secure location. Next laying season a secure area will be built on our beach so that this situation will never happen again. It's true that the area where the eggs are is not secure against anything-including human thief and it's true that dogs that are starving will eat anything they can get to. There are immediate solutions but they are not pretty. The Delagado promises to help with the Cisco's Amigos Clinic starting March 6th to transport these and other dogs to the clinic for sterilization. This a a huge step in the right direction. For the next few weeks please keep your dogs on a short leash on the beach. Residual poison could be anywhere. 2 of the dogs that died were buried somewhere in the area of the turtle hatching area . Strychnine is a very deadly poison. It is a very fast killer-30 minutes at the most. Keep you dogs leashed or do not walk past the lagoon. It was all a huge mistake in concept . My deepest sympathy goes out too all that lost a friend. Cisco's Amigos |
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