| Cops Help The Hicatee |
| Wed, February 20, 2019 |
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We've told you before about how special and rare Belize's Hicatee turtles are - and how sustainably they have to be hunted. Well police out a dent in the illegal harvesting of these special creatures when they caught 8 live Hicatees near Mile 32 on the George Price Highway.
A release doesn't say when but, in coordination with the Fisheries Department, a total of seven persons have been served with a summons of intended prosecution. It is expected that they will be charged for: (1) fishing of female Hicatee turtles greater that 17.2 inches and (2) transporting on any vehicle more than five turtles.
The Hicatee has been listed as a critically endangered species, and since 1993 Belize has enacted laws to ensure their conservation and long-term survival.
Hicatee turtles are only found in this along the coastal lowlands of southern Mexico, northern Belize and Guatemala. Belize is believed to have the healthiest population.
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