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Tourists Thwart Turtles from Nesting in Costa Rica Tourists Thwart Turtles from Nesting in Costa Rica
(35 minutes later)
MEXICO CITY — The day-trippers swarmed onto the beach to watch one of nature’s most extraordinary sights, hundreds of thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles crawling out of the ocean to lay their eggs in the sand. MEXICO CITY — The day-trippers swarmed onto the beach to watch one of nature’s most extraordinary sights, hundreds of thousands of olive ridley sea turtles crawling out of the ocean to lay their eggs in the sand.
The turtles did not want the company. Scared off by the thousands of tourists massed along Ostional Beach on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, snapping selfies and perching their children on the turtles’ backs, the ancient reptiles simply turned around and retreated into the sea.The turtles did not want the company. Scared off by the thousands of tourists massed along Ostional Beach on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, snapping selfies and perching their children on the turtles’ backs, the ancient reptiles simply turned around and retreated into the sea.
 “It was a mess,” said Yamileth Baltodano, a tour guide who was at the scene when the turtles were scared away two weeks ago. “It was a mess,” said Yamileth Baltodano, a tour guide who was at the scene when the turtles were scared away two weeks ago.
 What happened during the first weekend in September was a one-time event, when a confluence of factors allowed the utterly unexpected to take place. But it was a cautionary tale for the conservationists charged with protecting the turtles, not to mention a social media sensation. Now Costa Rican officials are scrambling to make sure it does not happen again. What happened during the first weekend in September was a one-time event, when a confluence of factors allowed the utterly unexpected to take place. But it was a cautionary tale for the conservationists charged with protecting the turtles, which are classified as vulnerable, not to mention a social media sensation. Now Costa Rican officials are scrambling to make sure it does not happen again.
 “We are reassessing the way we work and the way we tackle the issue,” Mauricio Méndez, deputy director of the Tempisque Conservation Area, which includes Ostional Beach, said in a telephone interview on Friday. “We understood we need to change the way we do things.” “We are reassessing the way we work and the way we tackle the issue,” Mauricio Méndez, deputy director of the Tempisque Conservation Area, which includes Ostional Beach, said in a telephone interview on Friday.
 The Olive Ridely nesting season — which runs August through October — coincides with Costa Rica’s rainy season, which ordinarily provides a natural barrier that protects the turtles. During that time, the beach is all but cut off by the flood tide of the swollen Nosara River, which blocks access on bridges. Even in the dry season, the beach is accessible only by a four-wheel drive vehicle driven by a local guide. The olive ridley nesting season, from August through October, coincides with Costa Rica’s rainy season, which ordinarily provides a natural barrier that protects the turtles. During that time, the beach is all but cut off by the flood tide of the swollen Nosara River, which blocks access on bridges. Even in the dry season, the beach is accessible only by a four-wheel-drive vehicle driven by a local guide.
 But this year, the effect of El Niño left the river all but dry, making passage to the beach easy. In addition, an earthquake in 2012 had opened up new access points to the beach, Mr. Méndez said. But this year, low rainfall caused by El Niño left the river all but dry, making passage to the beach easy.
 The turtles, who lay their eggs during a three- to four-day period each month, began to arrive very early on the morning of Sept. 4. Photographs of the phenomenon quickly began to spread on social media, and that encouraged visitors from as far away as the capital to get into their cars and head for the beach. Mr. Méndez said officials were working on changes before the next arrival, expected on Oct. 4. He said he hoped to double the number of police officers and security guards, and even to bring in the Coast Guard. Groups will only be allowed in with guides and will be limited to the edges of the nesting area.
 “The pictures on Facebook went up and the news spread like foam across social media,” Mr. Méndez said. Between park rangers, tourist guides and police officers and security guards from the local community organization, there were just 54 people to handle the onslaught, he said.  It was simply not enough. Despite the commotion, turtles still managed to lay some eggs, perhaps at night. Mr. Méndez and his team found many more eggs than they expected after the frolicking tourists went home.
 From a distance, aboard a boat, Vanessa Bézy, a sea turtle biologist, watched in horror as hordes of tourists clogged the beach, overwhelming the guards. “A tornado can be happening, and they will continue to deposit the eggs, carve it out, nest, and go back to sea,” he said.
 “I almost had a panic attack because it was so crowded,” said Ms. Bézy, a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who has been studying Olive Ridley nesting behavior at Ostional Beach for five years.  “It was basically a free-for-all.” The turtles, who lay their eggs during a three- to four-day period each month, began to arrive early on Sept. 4. Photographs of the phenomenon quickly began to spread on social media.
From a distance, aboard a boat, Vanessa Bézy, a sea turtle biologist, watched in dismay as hordes of tourists clogged the beach, overwhelming the guards.
“I almost had a panic attack because it was so crowded,” said Ms. Bézy, a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has been studying nesting behavior at Ostional Beach for five years. “It was basically a free-for-all.”