Stealing Turtle Eggs Got People Shot, But The Thievery Continues

Voiceover: This is a story of two species on the beaches of Mexico fighting to survive. These endangered Olive Ridley turtles, and the impoverished humans who hunt and sell their eggs.

Poacher (Spanish): There is no work. If there were jobs, why the hell would I come out here? I am a brick-layer, but I can’t find a job. What choice do we have? What will we eat? What will our children eat?

Voiceover: Turtle eggs have been a part of local culture for centuries, but taking and selling them was outlawed in 1990 and it’s now a federal crime punishable with up to 9 years in prison, depriving people of one of the few sources of income they had. But when it comes to putting food on the table, even the law won’t stop them.

Miguel (Spanish): Eating turtle eggs is like a tradition here. If you come to the village and don’t eat turtle eggs, it’s like you were never here.

Voiceover: This is Miguel. He’s from a village on the beach. And like many people here, he started poaching eggs when he was a young boy.

Miguel (Spanish): Many people go hunting for eggs. They do it out of necessity, not because they want to. Everybody knows it’s a crime, but they don’t see it as a crime.

Voiceover: The turtles lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time. They bury them in small nests before returning to the ocean. The humans use a stick to find the hollow ground and locate the nests.

We spent hours travelling around different villages, going from house to house talking to poachers Miguel knows. It felt like everybody around here hunted eggs, even women and children. We hoped to film people at home to show how they lived, but because egg hunting is a federal crime, nobody wanted to talk on camera.

During the peak landing periods, when thousands of turtles arrive, marines and environmental inspectors are sent in to protect the beach from poachers. It makes it much harder for the poachers to go out, but many still take the risk.

This year, they even started using surveillance drones.

(All dialogue in Spanish)

John Dickie, Reporter: Could you explain what the drone is for?

Hector Perez, Inspector: On the screen, you can see a trail. It’s not visible from here because of the dunes.

John: Who are you looking for on those trails?

Hector: It could be local people just passing by, or it could be egg poachers. We can’t be sure so we have to monitor them.

John: Does it have infra-red capability?

Hector: No, not infra-red.

Inspector 2: Not at this time.

John: Because the turtles arrive at night and the poaching is at night.

Hector: Not all the poaching is at night. It continues in the day. At night they carry out patrols and in the day we monitor the trails.

Miguel (Spanish): I stopped going to the beach for eggs, because I almost got caught. I got shot. Fear makes you stop. You think about your family. Your wife says she is scared to lose you. Who will look after the kids? It makes you think.

Voiceover: But while all these security measures are taken on the beach, the turtle eggs are openly sold in local markets.

John Dickie, Reporter: So we’re in the market in Juchitán. It’s crazy, there are turtle eggs for sale everywhere, even though it’s completely illegal and it’s actually a federal crime. I’ve heard of journalists getting their cameras smashed here so I’m just acting like a tourist and filming on a cell phone.”

What I can’t believe is that they send in the marines and do such a show at the beach so people don’t take the eggs and then completely allow the sale of the eggs in the market and the authorities don’t seem to be doing anything about it. So there’s definitely double standards going on.

Voiceover: I asked the district attorney for environmental protection how this was possible.

Nereo Garcia, District Attorney for Environmental Protection (Spanish): Juchitán market is the biggest problem we face in the state. We have to be very strategic about it. We can't just go into the market and set off a social conflict there. Local authorities are scared of creating a cultural conflict, so it’s a social and political issue.

Voiceover: The feeling around here is that egg poaching will only stop if the government provides alternatives.

Miguel: Instead of sending soldiers, why doesn’t the government create jobs for us? We could look after our fauna. Like collecting eggs and moving them so the baby turtles can hatch. There could be many jobs programs, instead of wasting money on stupid ****.

Voiceover: Back in Juchitán, we went for lunch at a local, family-run restaurant. Like many places here, turtle eggs are even listed on the menu. Everybody in Juchitán knew the eggs were illegal but few seemed to know about the turtles being in danger of extinction.

Woman: These are the finest turtle eggs. I don’t know why it’s illegal. I think it’s because they are bad for you. They are high in cholesterol. I guess that’s why they’re illegal. But it’s a tradition here in Juchitán.

Voiceover: The struggle between the two species continues, with each side fighting for its offspring. While their numbers decline worldwide, the turtles will continue arriving to the beach to lay their eggs, and until other opportunities present themselves, the humans will continue to steal them to put food on the table for their families.