The Leatherback Turtle and Suzan Lakhan Baptiste
In the 1980′s Matura Beach on the east coast of the island of Trinidad, was a killing field for Leatherback turtles. Today, on Matura Beach, there are no Leatherback turtles being killed and this is now one of the largest breeding grounds in the world for these magnificent creatures. This is all thanks to one woman, Suzan Lakhan Baptiste.
The mass slaughter of the Leatherback turtle on had a huge impact on both the Leatherback population and the community of Matura. The Leatherback population diminished rapidly and the economy of Matura suffered. The only people that who benefited from the slaughter of the Leatherback were the poachers, who sold the meat for high prices. Matura Beach was littered with disposed Leatherback carcases and was no longer attractive to tourists and day trippers.
Suzan Lakhan Baptiste, a resident of Matura, took it upon herself to change all this.
She would bravely go to the beach at night and try to reason with the poachers, eventually getting through to them that what they were doing was wrong. She spoke to the residents of Matura, and convinced them that the Leatherback turtle was an asset to the community and should be preserved. Her efforts paid off and led to the formation, in 1990, of the Nature Seekers organisation which was set up to protect the Leatherback turtle.
Thanks to Suzan Lakhan Baptiste, Matura Beach once again has its tourists and the Leatherback turtle has made a healthy comeback. Suzan Lakhan Baptiste is certainly a very remarkable woman and an asset to her community.
For more information please visit http://www.natureseekers.org
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