Sea Turtle Eggs Swiped: Man Allegedly Steals 107 Eggs From Mother Turtle

Palm Beach County, FL — A 49-year-old Tequesta man faces criminal charges after officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say they caught him in the act of swiping protected loggerhead sea turtle eggs while the mother turtle was in the process of laying them.

The investigation into Glenn Robert Shaw’s alleged actions kicked off early last week when FWC biologists reported concerns about someone possibly stealing eggs from behind a home on Jupiter Island. FWC officers increased patrols in the area after receiving the tip about the possible poacher.

The increased patrols paid off around 10:30 p.m. Friday when officers “observed Shaw in the process of actively taking eggs from a female loggerhead sea turtle as she was laying them,” an email from FWC said.

Shaw was in possession of 107 eggs when officers approached him, the email noted.

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Fifteen of the eggs were kept for evidence and DNA testing. The remaining 92 were reburied in hopes they’ll hatch later this year.

Shaw now faces a third-degree felony charge for taking and possessing loggerhead sea turtle eggs. He was booked into the Palm Beach County jail Friday and remained there Tuesday in lieu of $3,000 bond. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

FWC says the motives behind the poaching are unknown at this time.

Katie Purcell, spokeswoman for FWC, said in a previous interview that sea turtle eggs are often poached and sold to those who eat them.

Officers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assisted with the arrest.

“We’d like to thank FWC biologists for keeping a close eye out and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their assistance with this case. Protecting Florida’s natural resources is something we take seriously, and we’re thankful that this individual was prevented from doing further harm to this imperiled species,” Capt. Jeff Ardelean of FWC said following the arrest.

Loggerhead sea turtles are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. The creatures are known to nest on beaches along the state’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In the Gulf Coast area, sea turtle nesting season begins in mid-April and continues until roughly the end of October.

In Florida, all sea turtles are protected by state and federal laws. It is illegal for people to harass, harm or take sea turtles and their eggs. The state is home to five different species: loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, hawksbill, leatherback and green.

To find out more about loggerhead sea turtles in Florida, visit FWC online. For advice on protecting sea turtles on Gulf Coast beaches, check out this related story.

Anyone who happens to encounter a sick, stranded or injured sea turtle in Manatee or Sarasota county waters is asked to call Mote Marine Laboratory’s Stranding Investigations Program at 941-988-0212. Sightings outside of those two counties should be reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Anyone who sees people tampering with sea turtle nests or harassing sea turtles is asked to call FWC, local law enforcement or Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at 941-388-4331.

Photos courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Palm Beach County Jail