Sea Shepherd crew attacked by turtle poacher
At approximately 3am while conducting their nightly beach patrol, three volunteer crew members were attacked with a machete and knife by a turtle poacher.
Ben Harris, Luke Paron, and Rebecca McManus sat perched at a vantage point along the beach looking for nesting Olive Ridley turtles, when a man walked towards them shining a bright torch light. The crew originally thought this was a local man named Ramon who helps with nightly patrols. It wasn’t until the man was standing directly above them that the volunteers realized it was one of the turtle poachers.
This man was not alone; a young poacher had followed him and stood idly by. He held in his hand a machete, with a large knife tucked into his front waistband. The poacher immediately became confrontational, screaming in Spanish at the volunteers claiming they knew him and had taken his picture. He demanded that the volunteers return to their own countries as this was his beach and his turtles.
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Photo from Sea Shepard.
