Researchers Use GPS-Enabled Decoy Eggs To Catch Turtle Egg Traffickers

A study, published in the journal Current Biology on October 5, explores the possibility of putting 3D-printed and GPS-enabled decoy eggs into the nests of sea turtles to gather evidence against the illegal trade. The researchers tested how the decoy eggs would work and their safety as well for the turtles considered to be one of the endangered species.

Lead author Helen Pheasey from the University of Kent said that the decoy eggs do not cause any damage to the incubating turtle eggs and that the device works. It made tracking illegal traders of sea turtle eggs possible, from those who illegally remove the eggs from the beach to the consumers and identify an entire chain of illegal trade covering 137 kilometers.

InvestEggators: Tracking Illegal Sea Turtle Egg Traders

The decoy eggs were also called the InvestEggators, developed by Paso Pacifico in an effort to address the illegal trade of endangered sea turtle eggs in Central America. Sea turtle eggs are illegally removed from those beaches to sell to restaurants and bars who serve it as a delicacy.

According to Paso Pacifico-affiliated scientist Kim Williams-Guillen, the inventor of the decoys eggs, it was an 'Aha' moment when he thought about the eggs. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was looking for technological projects at that time that could help fight wildlife poaching, and Williams-Guillen thought about 3D-printing decoy eggs for the project.

She said her favorite TV shows inspired her, Breaking Bad and The Wire, both about illegal drug trafficking. In the show Breaking Bad, the DEA uses a GPS tracking device on a tank of chemicals to see who receives it, while on one episode of The Wire, two policemen planted an audio device in a tennis ball to record a drug dealer.

Researchers Use GPS-Enabled Decoy Eggs to Catch Turtle Egg Traffickers

(Photo: Paso Pacifico)
The decoy eggs dubbed as InvestEggator, used to track illegal traders of sea turtle eggs Photo Credits: Paso Pacifico

Putting those two ideas together, she came up with the decoy eggs, considering that the turtle eggs are like ping pong balls that authorities wanted to track. The researchers placed the 3D-printed decoy eggs in 101 sea turtle nests on four beaches in Costa Rica and found that a quarter of fake eggs were taken so the researchers could track where the eggs are going.

One of the decoy eggs made it close to a residential area before it went silent, while another went two kilometers away to a bar, but the farthest got to 137 kilometers inland. The researchers believed that the eggs were not sold at the market but instead handed over there.

Some also discovered the decoy in which one of them went offline in a residential property near Cariari. The researchers received photographs of the dissected egg 11 days after. But they were able to get information about where it was sold and how many.

Their results showed that the stolen turtle eggs do not go so far from the area and that the legal trade happens near the nesting place. Pheasey said that his information is valuable as efforts can now be focused on raising awareness on local communities and enforcing laws against the illegal trade of sea turtle eggs.

Identify Egg Traffickers

According to Pheasey, finding the people who illegally took the eggs from the beach is not the key to solving the illegal trade, but rather it is identifying those who traffic and sell the eggs based on the law enforcement perspective.

That is what makes the InvestEggator a crucial tool in addressing the illegal trade of sea turtle eggs. The researchers think that the decoy eggs must be used in multi-pronged conservation that aims to educate, build better opportunities, and enforce laws against illegal trade.

Using the decoy eggs in different parts of the world could show the differences in the turtle egg trade in different countries, the researchers said. But as of now, they are focused on developing the technology further and use it on other species as well, like investigating the parrot eggs.