ICYMI: 'Turtle Terrorists' Worth $2K in Reward Money

A late night joyride on the beach at Anna Maria Island has turned into a manhunt with a reward of $2,000 offered for the capture of the man and woman officials say let their fun go too far.

That joyride, as it turned out, resulted in five loggerhead sea turtle nests being run over and two shorebird chicks being killed. Now, the Holmes Beach Police Department wants to speak to the folks responsible. The incident, officials say, occurred around 10:30 p.m. June 27 on the beach near 30th Avenue in Holmes Beach.

Capt. Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd, has even stepped forward to offer a $2,000 reward for the capture of the “two turtle terrorists.” Sea Shepherd is a nonprofit marine wildlife conservation organization that was founded in 1977. “Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and the slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species,” the organization’s website explains.

Sea Shepherd officials say the marked turtle nests were intentionally run over with endangered loggerhead sea turtle eggs inside. The seabird chicks killed were two black skimmers.

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“Sea Shepherd is offering this reward not only in the hope that these two individuals will be brought to justice for their reckless actions which have led to the destruction of marine wildlife – including endangered sea turtles – but also to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the many species that call Florida’s and the world’s ocean and shores home,” the organization said in a statement. “Senseless and violent crimes committed against marine life and their fragile eco-systems must be taken seriously and punished to the full extent of the law.”

Watson is so outraged by the act he issued his own commentary on the Sea Shepherd website.

“We need to stop people terrorizing diminishing populations of threatened and endangered wildlife,” he said. “These people are criminals and should be dealt with as criminals to send a strong message that maiming and killing wildlife is a serious crime,” he said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Holmes Beach Police Department at 941-708-5804.

Sea turtles are protected under federal law. It is illegal to harass or interfere with them in any way or to disturb a nest. Anyone who sees someone disturbing a sea turtle is asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or local law enforcement.

Photo of sea turtle eggs from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/Photo of baby loggerheads from the Sarasota Police Department