Stopping Turtle Poachers

During the late summer and fall, tourists from around the world travel to Nicaragua’s Pacific coast to witness an amazing spectacle. They come to watch thousands of female olive ridley sea turtles emerge from the ocean to lay their eggs. It’s one of the few places on Earth that hosts la arribada (Spanish for “the arrival”) of so many sea turtles. Unfortunately, la arribada also attracts some unwanted visitors: poachers who steal sea turtle eggs to sell illegally.

During the late summer and fall, tourists from around the world travel to Nicaragua’s Pacific coast. They come to watch something amazing. Thousands of female olive ridley sea turtles come out of the ocean to lay their eggs. The event is called la arribada (Spanish for “the arrival”). This is one of the few places on Earth where so many sea turtles arrive. Sadly, la arribada also draws some unwanted visitors. Poachers show up to steal sea turtle eggs to sell illegally.

Every year, sea turtles return to the same beaches where they were born (see A Sea Turtle’s Life). They haul themselves out of the water, dig holes in the sand, deposit their eggs, and then head back to sea. The nests make easy targets for poachers. But anyone attempting to steal sea turtle eggs may soon get more than they bargained for. A scientist has a plan to plant fake eggs containing tracking devices in sea turtle nests. If these fake eggs are poached, they could lead authorities straight to the criminals.

The decoy device, called the InvestEGGator, is the brainchild of Kim Williams-Guillén. She’s an ecologist with the nonprofit group Paso Pacífico, which works to protect wildlife in Nicaragua. She joined forces with Lauren Wilde, a Hollywood makeup and special effects artist. Their goal was to create an imitation sea turtle egg that looks and feels authentic enough to fool poachers. Conservationists hope the InvestEGGator will help reveal egg thieves’ black market networks and protect future generations of sea turtles.

Every year, sea turtles return to the same beaches where they were born (see A Sea Turtle’s Life). They pull themselves out of the water, dig holes in the sand, and lay their eggs. Then they head back to sea. The nests are easy targets for poachers. But if people try to steal sea turtle eggs, they may soon get more than they expected. A scientist has a plan to secretly plant fake eggs in sea turtle nests. These fake eggs contain tracking devices. If they’re taken, they could lead authorities straight to the poachers.

The tricky device is called the InvestEGGator. Kim Williams-Guillén came up with it. She’s an ecologist with the non-profit group Paso Pacífico, which protects wildlife in Nicaragua. She worked with Lauren Wilde, a Hollywood makeup and special effects artist. They wanted to make a fake sea turtle egg that looked and felt real enough to fool poachers. Conservationists hope the InvestEGGator will help reveal where stolen eggs are going. This could help protect young sea turtles in the future.

Sea turtles are some of the most endangered animals on the planet. Out of the seven sea turtle species, six are at risk of becoming extinct—“some within the next couple of decades,” warns Williams-Guillén.

Sea turtles face numerous threats in the wild. As hatchlings, they must make a short but perilous journey from the beach to the ocean. During the trek, birds and other predators easily pick off many of the baby turtles. Once in the ocean, the turtles still aren’t safe. Some get caught in fishing nets and drown. Others die from eating plastic trash they mistake for food.

Sea turtles are some of the most endangered animals on Earth. Seven sea turtles species are known. Six are at risk of becoming extinct, “some within the next couple of decades,” warns Williams-Guillén.

Sea turtles face many threats in the wild. After they hatch, they must travel from the beach to the ocean. The trip is dangerous. Birds and other predators pick off many of the baby turtles. After they reach the ocean, they still aren’t safe. Some sea turtles get caught in fishing nets and drown. Others die from eating plastic trash. They think the trash is food.

Climate change—shifting regional and global climate patterns—also affects sea turtle populations. The temperature of sea turtle eggs determines the gender of the animals developing inside. Warmer weather caused by climate change could lead to fewer male turtles being born. That could affect sea turtles’ ability to reproduce.

Poachers add to sea turtles’ survival woes. Sea turtle eggs are considered a delicacy in many cultures, including some in Central America. In certain parts of the world, people will pay as much as $300 for an egg. As a result, millions of sea turtle eggs end up on the black market every year. But the InvestEGGator could help reduce that number.

Sea turtle numbers are also affected by climate change. That’s the shift in local and global climate patterns. The temperature of sea turtle eggs decides whether the babies are male or female. Climate change causes warmer weather. This could lead to fewer male turtles being born. That could make it harder for sea turtles to reproduce.

Poachers add to sea turtles’ problems. People in different cultures, including those in Central America, think of sea turtle eggs as a fancy food. In some parts of the world, people will pay $300 for an egg. Millions of sea turtle eggs end up on the black market every year. But the InvestEGGator could help lower that number.

Williams-Guillén got the inspiration to secretly track poachers after watching a TV show in which government agents used a hidden homing device to catch a drug dealer. Williams-Guillén realized she could do something similar—but with turtle eggs (see Creating an Egg Tracker).

She first created a 3-D model of a turtle egg on her computer. Then she used a 3-D printer to turn her design into a solid object. She printed out several prototypes using different materials. But getting the texture of the fake eggs right was tricky. Sea turtle eggs don’t have hard shells like those of chickens. They’re squishy. Williams-Guillén eventually settled on a soft plastic called NinjaFlex.

A TV show gave Williams-Guillén the idea to secretly track poachers. On the show, government agents used a hidden tracking device to catch a drug dealer. Williams-Guillén realized she could do something like that with turtle eggs.

First, Williams-Guillén made a 3-D model of a turtle egg on her computer (see Creating an Egg Tracker). Then she used a 3-D printer to turn her model into a solid object. She printed out several examples made of different materials. The tricky part was the texture of the fake eggs. Sea turtle eggs don’t have hard shells like chicken eggs. They’re squishier. Williams-Guillén finally picked a soft plastic called NinjaFlex.

The eggs needed to be waterproof to protect the hardware inside. They also had to have the right coloring and feel. For those finishing touches, Williams-Guillén reached out to Wilde, the Hollywood artist, for help. Wilde usually creates special effects for movies and television, but she was eager to take on a new challenge. “I thought the project was amazing and wanted to help out,” she says.

Wilde immediately ran into a problem, though: She had never seen a sea turtle egg in real life. She visited the Los Angeles Zoo to look at land turtle eggs, but they had hard shells. Wilde finally found a land turtle egg that was leathery like a sea turtle’s. “I used it as a reference,” she says. Following the example, Wilde sanded the outside of Williams-Guillén’s plastic egg to make it smooth. Then she applied different coats of paint for the right color, a yellowy off-white, and added glue to the paint to make the egg waterproof.

The eggs needed to be waterproof to protect the hardware inside. They also had to have the right coloring and feel. Williams-Guillén asked Wilde for help with those finishing touches. Wilde is the Hollywood artist. She normally uses her skills to create special effects for movies and television. But she was eager for a new challenge. “I thought the project was amazing and wanted to help out,” she says.

Wilde ran into a problem right away. She had never seen a sea turtle egg in real life. She went to the Los Angeles Zoo to look at land turtle eggs, but they had hard shells. Wilde finally found a land turtle egg that was leathery like a sea turtle’s. “I used it as a reference,” she says. She sanded the outside of Williams-Guillén plastic egg to make it smooth. Then she put on coats of paint to get the right color, a yellowy off-white. She added glue to the paint to make the egg waterproof.

Williams-Guillén and Wilde’s finished product looks like a Ping-Pong ball with a small dimple. Inside, the egg contains an antenna, a battery, and a cell phone SIM card. “The SIM card connects to the internet and sends the egg’s location,” says Williams-Guillén.

The only thing that gives the fake eggs away is a small external on-off switch. But once they’re slipped into the nests and covered in sand, it’s hard to tell them apart from the real thing. Plus, poachers steal eggs at night by the hundreds. “They give each egg a gentle squeeze to make sure it’s still fresh,” says Williams-Guillén. But they don’t closely inspect the eggs in the dark.

The fake egg was finished. It looks like a Ping-Pong ball with a small dimple. Inside, the egg has an antenna, battery, and cell phone SIM card. “The SIM card connects to the internet and sends the egg’s location,” says Williams-Guillén.

Only one thing gives the fake eggs away. They have a small on-off switch on the outside. But the eggs will be slipped into the nests and covered in sand. Then they’re hard to tell apart from the real thing. Plus, poachers steal hundreds of eggs at night. “They give each egg a gentle squeeze to make sure it’s still fresh,” says Williams-Guillén. But they don’t look at the eggs closely in the dark.

Last summer, Williams-Guillén sent 40 InvestEGGators for a field test in Costa Rica. Researchers there were able to successfully track the devices taken from nests and pinpoint where poachers had taken the sea turtle eggs they’d stolen. Conservationists could use this type of data, along with help from local communities, to crack down on illegal egg trafficking.

For example, “If the eggs all go to one place, there might be one person in charge of the turtle trade,” says Williams-Guillén. “If we catch that one person, we may be able to put a big dent in turtle poaching.”

Last summer, Williams-Guillén sent 40 InvestEGGators to Costa Rica for a test. It was a success. Researchers tracked the devices taken from nests, and they could spot where poachers had taken the stolen eggs. This type of data, plus help from local people, could help conservationists fight the illegal egg trade.

Williams-Guillén gives an example. “If the eggs all go to one place, there might be one person in charge of the turtle trade,” she says. “If we catch that one person, we may be able to put a big dent in turtle poaching.”