Sea Lion Massacre in Galapagos Mystifies Authorities
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01.30.08
Image courtesy of mikebaird via flickr
In what can only be described as an utterly barbaric act, 53 sea lions were found dead earlier this week in the Galapagos Islands, their heads apparently bashed in. When they were initially discovered on Pinta, they were already in a late stage of decomposition; as Reuters UK's Alonso Soto and AFP are reporting, Ecuadoran authorities have started an investigation to determine the perpetrator(s) of these brutal killings.
Though it remains a possibility, the authorities have practically ruled out the involvement of traffickers, who typically kill the sea lions to salvage their organs; aside from their head wounds, the animals were left untouched. Winnowing down a list of possible culprits will be extremely difficult as tourism on the islands has flourished over the past few years; indeed, following calls for stricter controls by the UNESCO, Ecuador is now seriously weighing proposals to limit the amount of tourists flooding the Galapagos.
UNESCO placed the Galapagos on its list of World Heritage sites, citing the threats posed by invasive species, tourism, immigration and illegal organ trafficking. Luis Suarez, the local head of Conservation International, believes additional satellite control and better police intel could help regulate the traffickers' activities; he also agrees that more should be done to stem the influx of tourists. Another tragic example of tourism and development gone awry in a pristine setting.
Via ::The Great Beyond: Galapagos sea lions slaughtered (blog)
See also: ::Data-Gathering Seals Are Deployed in the Antarctic Ocean, ::Brazilian Fishermen Kill 83 Dolphins, Joke About It
Maybe it will be the subject of the upcoming X-Files sequel. Certainly soundsl ike an X-File to me. Clearly UFOs..
There were some commercial fishing companies that tried to get the sealions culled last year because they claim they eat all the fish.
I'm sure it's just an amazing coincidence.
I pray they catch who ever did this/who ever was involved and be brought to justice...
nice picture. why people kill the earth?
Hey guys, i live in Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Archipelago and this massacre hit us hard. The entire Galapagos population, included artisanal fisherman are very concerned mostly because the fingers point at them before any investigation is being carried. But the truth is that an average of 5-6 fish-factory ships are just outside the marine reserve and they send their speed boats into the protected area to fish illegally, and kill whatever is cought in their nets and long lines, and why not kill 53 sea lions to divert attention and media coverage, again, to point fingers on the local residents.
If anyone wants to make a followup on this subject, write me and i´ll keep you posted.
if the big factory fishing boats wanted to just kill sealions the bodies would never be found. Obviously, whoever did this wanted people to know.
nothing quite like clubbing baby seals eh?
How about the eco-terrorists? Club a few seals, fishing gets more regulated, tourism gets more regulated, who wins??? The environmentalists getting their way with more government regulations. I would blame it on them.
maybe a boat load of fishermen found clubbed to death rotting in the sun would send an appropriate message, but the law would certainly make sure to catch up with such culprits
Fishermen doing this job cuz the sea lions eat their fish - there is motive. but something so in-your-face is confusing.
The theory of the fish factories leaving dead sea lions for authorities to point fingers at the locals. Believable.
I am surprised there isn't any patrolling, given that the foundation is fighting to conserver the flora fauna of the islands.