KILLED BY ‘IDIOTS’
A GROUP of "ignorant" tourists have been slammed for digging up 68 baby turtles from their nest on a Florida beach.
Shocking footage shows the crowd placing the leatherback sea turtles in a bucket filled with wet sand after their habitat was disturbed.
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Chrissy Gibson, communications manager for the city of Boca Raton, said: "It was not done maliciously.
"It's important to remember, never interfere with sea turtle nesting activity or a sea turtle hatchout.
"If you are concerned about a sea turtle or hatchling, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and please remember - never touch a sea turtle."
POSE 'DANGER' TO SEA TURTLES
Chrissy added that the people who removed the turtles did it out of complete ignorance, thinking the turtles would die in the heat.
She added: "It was not done maliciously. It's important to remember, never interfere with sea turtle nesting activity or a sea turtle hatchout.
"If you are concerned about a sea turtle or hatchling, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and please remember - never touch a sea turtle."
Footage taken by WSVN reporter Andrew Dymburt shows a young boy digging next to a closed-off nest while onlookers, including lifeguards, watch beside him.
Dymburt said there were clear sign which read "Do Not Touch" but the tourists still decided to dig up a three-foot deep hole and put around 100 baby turtles in a bucket, reported Miami Herald.
Are sea turtles endangered and when do they nest?
Are they endangered?
Nearly all species of sea turtle are classified as Endangered. Slaughtered for their eggs, meat, skin, and shells, sea turtles suffer from poaching and over-exploitation.
Leatherbacks are listed on the Endangered Species Act as endangered, and as "critically endangered" on the IUCN Red List.
They also face habitat destruction and accidental capture in fishing gear.
Climate change has an impact on turtle nesting sites. It alters sand temperatures, which then affects the sex of hatchlings.
Experts say pollution and plastics are already a problem for endangered sea turtles - irresponsible beach goers during a holiday week only make matters worse.
When do they nest?
Sea turtle nesting season runs from March 1 to November 15 - and there are many signs on American beaches for beachgoers not to touch or go near the nests.
Violators are subject to hefty fines for disturbing, harassing, poaching and killing sea turtles.
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Marine experts entirely disapproved of the boys' behaviour and said they pose additional danger to the endangered sea turtles.
Dr Justin Perrault, director of research for the Loggerhead Marinelife Centre, explained: "Sea turtle eggs if they are rotated at any time during development will die.
"If the infraction is bad enough it can be thousands of dollars worth of fines and jail time."
Leatherback sea turtles: What to know
The leatherback sea turtle is the largest living reptile and the largest sea turtle.
They can grow to over 6 feet in length and weigh up to 2,000 pounds.
They are also the deepest-diving sea turtles, as they have the ability to swim alongside some of the deepest-diving whales.
Leatherbacks are capable of diving at least 3,900 feet.
Leatherbacks feed primarily on soft-bodied animals like jellyfish and salps.
They do not have teeth but have sharp cusps in their mouths that help grasp their prey in their throat.
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