"A volunteer of the Ostional Integral Development Association..."

#899124

10 November 2015

A volunteer of the Ostional Integral Development Association (OIDA) holds three recently hatched Olive Ridley sea turtles that she will help to the ocean on Ostional beach, 183 miles north-west of the capital of San Jose, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. Over a quarter of a million Olive Ridley sea turtles had lumbered ashore by Monday morning to nest at Ostional beach on Costa Rica's north Pacific coast. It was the thirteenth mass nesting this year and Saturday's number of arrivals was probably the largest for a single day in recent years, according to marine biologist Mauricio Mendez. The Ostional Wildlife Refuge is one of the two most important breeding sites in the world for the endangered species. Ostional is the only beach in the world where harvesting and selling sea turtle eggs is legal. Starting in 1987, authorities have allowed members the community of Ostional to collect eggs during the first three nights of the arribadas. In return, the villagers protect the turtles by keeping the beaches clear of debris, and running day and night patrols against poachers, until the baby turtles hatch approximately 60 days later.

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