Vandals trash Pilbara turtle nests

Care for Hedland Environmental Association volunteers came across a scene of destruction on Cemetery Beach in Port Hedland last week, after flatback turtle eggs were dug up from their nests, split open and discarded.

The discovery was made on Friday and, according to Care for Hedland staff, was the second incident of its kind in two weeks.

On Saturday, January 25, volunteers reported finding more than 100 hatchlings from six nests at various stages of development strewn across the sand.

The volunteer who discovered Friday's grisly scene, Nina Pangahas, said in 10 years of volunteering for Care for Hedland it was "the single worst incident of human-caused damage to turtle nests" she had witnessed.

Care for Hedland co-ordinator Pip Short said while the random acts of cruelty were unfathomable, the events were made worse considering so many nests were lost during cyclone Christine.

"We've grown the turtle monitoring program over 10 years to the point where we now have volunteers coming from around the world - it's gut-wrenching to think the work we all do could be thwarted over a few nights," she said.

"It's really distressing to see people act so cruelly without any thought of the consequences of their actions."

Care for Hedland is a not-for-profit environmental group founded in 2003 by now-Town of Port Hedland Mayor Kelly Howlett.

Its core program involves tracking and monitoring flatback turtles, which are a protected species and are listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Ms Short said it was an offence to kill, injure, damage or take a listed protected species without a licence, except for customary purposes.

"If people are caught harming these animals they can be fined up to $10,000 per animal," she said.

Local indigenous elder Maureen Kelly said she was shocked and saddened by the news, but defended Aboriginal customary purposes.

"Our culture teaches us only to take and kill what we can eat for us and our family, not to destroy or harm mother nature or her flora and fauna," she said.

"Let's make a good thing great so that our great grandchildren can see, feel and touch turtles in the ocean and not look at them in picture books as we have destroyed them all through our greed and not need.

"This is meant with good intent and not to offend anyone, even though I do not eat turtle myself, I do not judge people who do so."

Port Hedland police Sergeant Jason Gentili urged people to contact police if they witnessed acts of destruction against nests.

"We can definitely come down and intervene in a situation such as the one described," he said.