Fake 'decoy' eggs are being used to track turtle poaching

Updated 0219 GMT (1019 HKT) December 16, 2020

<strong>Olive ridley turtle -- </strong>Sea turtle populations around the world are under increasing threat from factors such as coastal development, overfishing and bycatch (when turtles are caught unintentionally during fishing for other species). The olive ridley -- the most abundant sea turtle species -- is also at risk of wildlife crime, with its eggs smuggled to cities where they are eaten as a delicacy in restaurants and bars.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Olive ridley turtle -- Sea turtle populations around the world are under increasing threat from factors such as coastal development, overfishing and bycatch (when turtles are caught unintentionally during fishing for other species). The olive ridley -- the most abundant sea turtle species -- is also at risk of wildlife crime, with its eggs smuggled to cities where they are eaten as a delicacy in restaurants and bars.

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<strong>Olive ridley turtle -- </strong>Listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11534/3292503" target="_blank">(IUCN)</a>, olive ridleys live and nest throughout the tropics, but have been found in temperate regions <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11534/3292503" target="_blank">as far south as New Zealand and as far north as Alaska</a>.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Olive ridley turtle -- Listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), olive ridleys live and nest throughout the tropics, but have been found in temperate regions as far south as New Zealand and as far north as Alaska.

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<strong>Olive ridley turtle -- </strong>When they are ready to lay their eggs, they descend upon the shore to dig deep chambers in the sand where they bury a clutch of often more than 100. This makes them an easy target for poachers.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Olive ridley turtle -- When they are ready to lay their eggs, they descend upon the shore to dig deep chambers in the sand where they bury a clutch of often more than 100. This makes them an easy target for poachers.

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<strong>Olive ridley turtle -- </strong>Paso Pacifico, a conservation organization working in Central America, estimates that poachers in the region destroy more than 90% of sea turtle nests to sell the eggs into the illegal wildlife trade. To trace trafficking routes, it developed decoy eggs with a GPS system that can be placed in real nests to fool poachers.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Olive ridley turtle -- Paso Pacifico, a conservation organization working in Central America, estimates that poachers in the region destroy more than 90% of sea turtle nests to sell the eggs into the illegal wildlife trade. To trace trafficking routes, it developed decoy eggs with a GPS system that can be placed in real nests to fool poachers.

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<strong>Olive ridley turtle -- </strong>The decoy eggs can be used to strengthen law enforcement, helping to combat trafficking and protect sea turtle populations.<br />

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Olive ridley turtle -- The decoy eggs can be used to strengthen law enforcement, helping to combat trafficking and protect sea turtle populations.

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<strong>Green turtle -- </strong>Green turtles are classed as endangered by the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4615/11037468" target="_blank">IUCN</a>, which considers the harvesting of eggs and adults from nesting beaches as the biggest threat to their future.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Green turtle -- Green turtles are classed as endangered by the IUCN, which considers the harvesting of eggs and adults from nesting beaches as the biggest threat to their future.

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<strong>Green turtle -- </strong>It's thought there used to be as many as <a href="https://www.seaturtlestatus.org/green-turtle" target="_blank">500 million</a> green turtles in the Caribbean alone. However, the species was at one time eaten by European explorers and later used for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/history-of-turtle-soup-hunting/" target="_blank">turtle soup</a>.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Green turtle -- It's thought there used to be as many as 500 million green turtles in the Caribbean alone. However, the species was at one time eaten by European explorers and later used for turtle soup.

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<strong>Green turtle -- </strong>Paso Pacifico's decoys are also used to track the trade of green turtle eggs, since they are a similar shape and size to those of olive ridleys.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Green turtle -- Paso Pacifico's decoys are also used to track the trade of green turtle eggs, since they are a similar shape and size to those of olive ridleys.

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<strong>Loggerhead turtle -- </strong>The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3897/119333622" target="_blank">IUCN</a> listed loggerheads as vulnerable in 2015 -- an upgrade compared to their "endangered" classification in the 1990s. However, improvements in a species' status can reflect both genuine population growth and better data.

Photos: Meet the sea turtles: The ocean wonders that wander the oceans

Loggerhead turtle -- The IUCN listed loggerheads as vulnerable in 2015 -- an upgrade compared to their "endangered" classification in the 1990s. However, improvements in a species' status can reflect both genuine population growth and better data.

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