Sea Turtle Defender Murdered in Costa Rica

Jairo Sandoval had dedicated himself to protecting leatherback turtles

UPDATE, June 14: Since this article was first published, the reward for information leading to the arrest of Mora’s murderers has increased to $56,000, including $30,000 being offered separately by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson. More than 100,000 people have now signed the petition at Change.org.

LIMON, COSTA RICA – Last week a Costa Rican environmentalist was kidnapped and killed while on a routine patrol to protect leatherback sea turtle eggs from being poached. On the evening of May 30 Jairo Mora Sandoval, three young women from the United States and another from Spain were kidnapped by five masked men carrying military-style rifles as they inspected leatherback nesting sites at Moín Beach on Costa Rica’s northern Caribbean coast.

LizanoMeetingLindsay FendtVanessa Lizano, a colleague and friend of murdered turtle conservationist Jairo Mora, seeks
comfort after a moment of silence in Mora’s honor at MINAE’s action meeting Tuesday.

The five conservation workers were then taken to an abandoned home where Mora, a Costa Rican, was separated from the others. The next morning his body was found in the sand. He had been bound and beaten. Initial reports said Mora had been shot in the head execution style; according to the latest news from Costa Rica’s English language Tico Times, Mora died from head trauma and asphyxiation from sand.

Mora worked for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) at Moín, a beach near the town of Limon, monitoring the beach for leatherback sea turtles. The turtle eggs are thought to be an aphrodisiac and are sold at local bars for about $1 each. A poacher can steal as many as 200 eggs in a night. Nest monitoring patrols and public awareness campaigns conducted by groups like WIDECAST have proven effective in reducing egg poaching. The mere presence of observers on beaches is often enough to scare off poachers.

But in the past year poachers on the Caribbean coast have become more aggressive.

This was not Mora’s first run-in with armed poachers. In April 2012 a group of turtle defenders who were monitoring nests were tied up by masked men who stole a large clutch of eggs. After that, Mora and the director of WIDECAST, Vanessa Lizano, were sometimes followed by men on motorbikes carrying AK-47s. “He was held up at gunpoint, and they told him to back off and stop the walks,” Lizano told the Tico Times. “That was his first warning, and I guess his last.”

Just last month, Mora posted on his Facebook page that he had placed a call for help to authorities after a night of poaching raids, writing: “Send messages to the police so they come to Moín beach … Tell them not to be afraid but to come armed… 60 turtles lost and there wasn’t even a single nest… we need help and fast.”

Most hands-on sea turtle conservation projects are run by non-governmental organizations that utilize tourist volunteers to help conduct beach surveillance. The murder of a local conservationist and the kidnapping of international tourists is already impacting that work. Patrols at the site have been shut down and ecotourists and volunteers have cancelled upcoming reservations. Tourism is one of the major drivers of Costa Rica’s economy, attracting around 2 million visitors a year, and revenues of approximately $2 billion, more than the value of the export of coffee and bananas combined.

“Costa Rica, has built its reputation as a mecca for ecotourism, as a nation committed to the protection of the environment, and as a safe place for tourists to visit,” says Todd Steiner, a wildlife biologist and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, an international environmental organization that organizes citizen scientists to participate in conservation and research projects in Costa Rica. “Young people visit from around the world to participate in ecology projects, just like the program at Moín. The sea turtle conservation model is critical to protecting nesting beaches. For the sake of the ecology and economy of Costa Rica, the Costa Rican government must bring the murderers to justice and assure everyone that Costa Rica beaches are safe for sea turtles and people.”

Costa Rican authorities have pledged to find Mora’s murderers. Costa Rican Environment Minister René Castro says the government is considering making Moín Beach a protected area. “We will be using the proposal submitted by WIDECAST in order to formulate a plan for the creation of a protected area where Jairo worked,” Castro said.

International NGOs have posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the murderers. The Justice for Jairo Reward Fund is expected to grow as more organizations and individuals learn about this heinous crime and want to help. Individuals can contribute to the reward fund at www.SeaTurtles.org/Donateforjustice .

Two petitions, which together already have gathered more than 5,000 signatures in the past few days, are aimed at Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, calling for swift and decisive action to bring the perpetrators to justice. You can sign the petitions here and/or here.

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