After turtle hatchlings destroyed, Trinidad Govt defends its
actions PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Monday July 16 2012 -
Ordinarily they live for at least half a century. But at least
20,000 leatherback sea turtle hatchlings never made it past
their nesting ground at Grand Riviere, a stretch of shoreline
along Trinidad’s north coast, in what’s been described as “an
engineering disaster” last weekend. Instead, the hatchlings and
eggs were destroyed by heavy duty earth-moving equipment brought
in by authorities to halt erosion and save homes and businesses
in the area. The erosion was being caused by the Grand Riviere
River, which authorities said started meandering away from its
natural course last December. “The remedial work was deemed an
emergency due to the drastic and sudden erosion that had taken
place in an extremely short space of time,” the Ministry of the
Environment and Water Resources said in a statement. The erosion
was endangering “several buildings, including a hotel (that) is
one of the most popular