We
attempted to release the injured pelican yesterday after feeding it some water
and electrolytes, but it was unable to fly away. We were really hoping that it
just needed a night of rest, but it was more injured than we thought so we put
it back in the cage. Then, we blended some fish up and fed it because it was refusing
to eat the live fish we put in its cage. Hopefully after some food in its
belly, it will be strong enough to fly if its wing isn’t too injured.
The
Inauguration for the turtle nesting season is this Saturday, so we spent most
of the day finishing up projects to make the park look nicer, such as
repainting, sweeping, raking, and picking up trash on the beach. One of the
volunteers had to go to Monterrico, so TJ and I decided to tag along and get
more cake. This time we got a small strawberry and vanilla cake. It was
delicious! I’m going to treat myself to sweets more often down here!
We
decided to eat at Myra’s house again (a local woman) because her food was so
good last time. However, just as we were on our way out, we got a call from
Alice (ex-ARCAS volunteer) stating that a dead turtle had washed up. She has
been collecting data on the stranded/dead turtles as well as the appearance of
the shrimp boats in order to prove that they are resulting in dead animals. She
doesn’t have a GPS though, so she needed us to go to the turtle and use ours.
It was probably one of the most disheartening things I have seen so far. Its
carapace (shell) was almost completely cracked down the middle probably due to
a run in with a boat (most likely a fishing boat). The worst thing about the
whole situation is that a parlamero (one of the local egg collectors) walked
right by the turtle carcass without even looking and then flicked his cigarette
about two feet away. They just have such a blatant disregard for the species, which
makes it hard to work with them. I have to admit that after seeing the turtle I
became a little depressed and had to force myself to eat the meal Myra
prepared. I know this part of the harsh reality of current sea turtle
predicament, but I’m hoping I won’t see another dead turtle for awhile.
The cracked carapace
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