An e-mail has been making the rounds over the last few weeks purports to show evidence of an illegal turtle egg harvest in Costa Rica. It contains several pictures like this:

While the pictures are real, the e-mail is misleading. They show a sustainable, legal turtle harvest that actually helps the Olive Ridley turtle population. Our favorite observational nerd, Christie, has a thorough break-down of the what’s really going on and the Costa Rican Tourist Bureau has released further information. It’s a shame that a few people more interested in sensationalism than the truth are hurting the efforts of dedicated and effective conservationists.

~Southern Fried Scientist