Sept. 24, 2002 – A 69-year-old St. Croix man was charged on Monday with violating the federal Endangered Species Act by stealing 13 eggs from a hawksbill turtle nest.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Morey said that Severo Rodriguez had the eggs in his possession when he was apprehended Sunday on Sunset Beach by a special agent of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Authorities seized the eggs as evidence.
Following his appearance at an advice-of-rights hearing in District Court on Monday, Rodriguez was freed on $5,000 bail. As a condition of his release, he is to stay away from all turtle nesting areas on St. Croix — which is to say, all 52 beaches on the island.
The hawksbill is one of the three endangered or threatened sea turtle species that live in territorial waters and lay their eggs along the shore. The leatherback turtle also is on the federal endangered list, and the green turtle is on the threatened list.
Fish and Wildlife agent Michael Evans said there is a thriving illegal market on St. Croix for turtle meat and turtle eggs. "They are considered an aphrodisiac," he said. "As they say locally, they make your back strong."
According to Evans, authorities did not return the retrieved eggs to the sand where they came from because the embryo formation that takes place inside is a quick and delicate process that is easily destroyed by handling them. "If you roll around the eggs, that little group of cells will not survive, and so the embryo perishes," he said.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
