By Erbol:

IN SPAWNING SEASON

Riberalta: Nearly 300 Yellow-Spotted River Turtle Eggs Seized in Wildlife Trafficking Operation

Yellow-spotted river turtle eggs. Photo: Autonomous Municipal Government of Riberalta

During the peak spawning season of the yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), municipal authorities in Riberalta, Beni, carried out an enforcement operation against the illegal trade of wildlife. Approximately 300 eggs were confiscated from the city’s main markets.

The operation was confirmed by Henry Gushi Álvarez, Riberalta’s Municipal Director of Environment, who outlined to La Región the scope of the intervention, the legal framework supporting it, and the challenges involved in combating environmental crimes of this nature.

Gushi explained that the operation resulted from prior coordination with the Forest and Environmental Police (Pofoma) and the Municipal Intendancy. “We coordinated all of this several days in advance,” the official stated.

The intervention focused on the best-known commercial hubs of the Amazonian city: the Central Market, the Abasto Market, and other strategic locations where, according to the municipal authority, “people go out and sell turtle eggs and bushmeat.”

He added that these actions are part of an ongoing effort throughout the turtle spawning season.

The nearly 300 eggs recovered during the operation were donated to two shelters: “Cristo te Salva” and “Angelitos.”

Legal Framework

Authorities inspected several sales points during the operation. Photo: Municipal Government of Riberalta

Under Law 1525, trafficking wild animals is a criminal offense under Bolivia’s Penal Code and can carry prison sentences of up to eight years in aggravated cases.

The operation also falls within Bolivia’s national environmental legislation, which regulates the protection of natural resources and wildlife.

Gushi emphasized that before intensifying seizure operations, the Municipal Environmental Directorate conducted awareness campaigns within the community. Public notices were issued in coordination with the Institute for the Protection of the Amazon (IPA) and the Autonomous University of Beni (UAB).

“Now we are actively taking action against people who sell turtle eggs,” he said.

So far, enforcement measures have been limited to confiscations rather than arrests. If offenders are caught repeatedly violating the law, authorities will coordinate with the Riberalta Police to proceed according to legal provisions.

During one of the operations, a group of vendors resisted the intervention on Caranday Avenue, where relatives and neighbors of sellers attempted to scuffle with police officers. Despite the tension, the operation was completed without major incidents.

When asked about the origin of the eggs sold in Riberalta’s markets, Gushi pointed to informal networks of collectors who travel during the spawning season to riverbank areas of the Amazon region, particularly toward rivers bordering Peru’s Madre de Dios region. From there, the eggs are transported to Riberalta for sale, often openly.

“Sometimes they do not even try to hide anymore, because they sit in avenue planters with their tubs or buckets full of eggs,” he described.

The situation in Riberalta reflects a recurring challenge across Bolivia’s Amazon region. An informal market for wildlife products—such as turtle eggs and bushmeat—continues to exist despite laws imposing years of imprisonment for wildlife trafficking. Effective enforcement largely depends on local operational capacity and interinstitutional coordination.

Meanwhile, environmental authorities in Riberalta say inspections and enforcement operations will continue throughout the spawning season in an effort to curb a trade that, by many accounts, is often conducted in broad daylight.

The yellow-spotted river turtle is currently listed as “Vulnerable” to extinction in Bolivia’s Red Book of Vertebrates.

Why should we not consume turtle eggs?

Consuming turtle eggs contributes directly to the decline of wild turtle populations. Each egg removed from a nest is one fewer hatchling that can reach adulthood and reproduce. Because river turtles mature slowly and face natural predators, large-scale egg harvesting can rapidly reduce their numbers. The practice also fuels illegal wildlife trafficking networks and undermines conservation efforts aimed at protecting vulnerable species and maintaining the ecological balance of Amazonian river ecosystems.