SPAIN: Police Raid Europe's Largest Turtle Farm In Mallorca, Shut It Down

Spanish authorities have dismantled the facility, which contained 1,100 animals and 14 of the 50 most endangered turtle species.

Spanish Civil Guard has just shut down what it calls the largest illegal turtle hatchery in Europe, on the island of Mallorca.

According to police the farm contained 1,110 turtles and tortoises. This haul included 14 of the 50 most endangered turtle species in the world, according to Europol, the European law enforcement agency.

This number is due to grow, as more than 200 of the females are gravid, or due to soon lay eggs, authorities noted.

Besides adults and hatchlings, the raid also turned up 750 eggs.

Video from Spanish authorities shows turtles housed in plastic tubs in crowded conditions on the farm, which was also populated with opaque tubs of water and barren dirt pens.

Code-named Operation Coahuila, the foundations of the investigation and subsequent raid were laid in February 2017, when police report that they discovered a shipment of illegal turtles at the Palma de Mallorca Airport in the Balearic Islands of Spain.

The turtles found in this shipment did not correspond to what was declared on the package, the police say.

Many of the turtles in the February shipment were species at high risk of extinction and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

A long investigation ensued leading the Spanish Civil Guard eventually to the hatchery, located on the island of Mallorca.

So far, three suspects have been arrested. Two of the suspects were Germans and the third suspect is the owner of an exotic pet store in Barcelona.

Three others are also under investigation. If the detainees are unable to present documents showing their legal ownership, they will likely be charged for the crimes of smuggling of protected species.

They also face charges of money laundering.

Of the 1,100 turtles, there were 62 species recorded. The farm contained radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata), native to Madagascar, which are critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

They are also listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Captive-bred radiated tortoises, and other species listed on Appendix I of CITES, are only allowed to be sold internationally for commercial purposes if the breeding facility is approved and registered with CITES.

The farm in Mallorca is not listed on the CITES registry of captive-breeding operations.

Other species seized included box turtles (Cuora sp.), considered at high risk of extinction in Southeast Asia.

There were also species endemic to Mexico, the United States and Canada, the Civil Guard noted.

Turtle and tortoises are trade for their shells, meat, and leather. They are also bred to be sold as pets.

The trade in turtles and tortoises is one of the driving factors in their demise leading them to extinction all over the world, says Max Maurer, director of membership and public outreach at Turtle Conservancy, who adds that he is not passing judgment on the suspects, who deserve the chance to make their case in court.


Tourism Observer

SPAIN: Canary Islands To Introduce A Tourist Tax

Spanish archipelago, the Canary Islands could be the latest holiday hotspot to introduce a tourist tax and limit its holiday rentals.

The PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol), the non-ruling socialist part of the islands has urged the government to impose the tax and restrict the number of holiday homes in a bid to limit over-tourism.

The Canaries, whose seven islands include Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, are known for attracting tourists in their hordes over the years and are said to have welcomed more than 16 million visits in 2017.

It’s said that officials are looking to introduce a system similar to the eco-tax in the Balearics which has been in place since 2016.

The Balearics which include Mallorca and Ibiza is to double their tax during high season in an effort to combat overcrowding.

The taxes are expected to raise up to €120 million in revenues each year.

If the tax in the Balearics is approved, it will be per person per day: €1 for campers and hostels, €2 for cruise passengers, cheaper hotels and apartments, €3 for those staying in mid-range accommodation, and €4 for luxury hotels.

Rates will be reduced during the winter months and under 16s will be exempt.

According to ABC Canarias, Dolores Corujo, a spokesperson for PSOE noted how the proposed tax, similar to the Balearics, could be used in the Canaries to fund environmental projects, promoting sustainable tourism as well as innovation and training.

It’s about the citizens knowing where the money goes, she said.

Tourism is an essential part of the Canary Islands’ industry with tourists seeking sunshine and beaches visiting its archipelago for decades.

It is a leading tourist destination, particularly for British and Irish holidaymakers.



Tourism Observer

Balearic Islands To Ban Tourist Cars

Officials say they may stop people arriving in smaller islands by car as region prepares to receive record number of visitors.

Balearic Islands consider banning tourist cars to avoid summer gridlock.

Tourism chiefs in the Balearic Islands could ban cars from the smaller islands during the summer months as the region braces for a record number of visitors.

The islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, which have a population of 1.1 million, are expecting 13.5 million visitors this year.

Officials in Ibiza and Formentera say they may have to stop tourists arriving in cars to avoid gridlock, following the example of the Italian resort island of Capri. In peak season there are as many as 20,000 cars on Formentera, which is 19km long.

Last year 65 million people visited Spain, 20 million more than the number of inhabitants. Numbers are already up on 2015 as terrorist attacks in Tunisia and Egypt have driven tourists back to European destinations.

Traffic jams are not the only problem. Local officials and environmentalists say the islands are close to the point where they will have neither the water nor the energy resources to meet demand.

Menorca, for example, was declared a biosphere reserve in 1993 and environmentalists say it cannot sustain more than 200,000 visitors on any one day, in addition to its 86,000 permanent residents. However, it exceeded that number on more than one occasion last year.

Cruise ships are adding to the pressure. On a single day last week, 22,000 passengers disembarked from cruise ships in Palma, the Mallorcan capital.

Over 500 cruises are expected to dock in Palma this year, carrying 1.5 million passengers.

Biel Barceló, vice-president of the Balearics tourism ministry, said: “We are encouraging cruise operators to take passengers on excursions to other parts of the island to avoid overcrowding the old town of Palma.”

Mallorca airport is also struggling to cope. Designed to deal with a maximum of 66 flights an hour, officials say in the high season this may rise to as many as 100.

Joan Gual de Torrella, president of the Balearic port authority, agreed that pressure needed to be taken off Palma, but added: “It would be a mistake to think that we would benefit from limiting the number of tourists.”

Tourism is by far the biggest industry in the Balearics, accounting for nine out of every €10 of GDP, and any attempt to curb it comes into conflict with powerful forces in the hotel and travel industry, as the Barcelona mayor, Ada Colau, discovered when she attempted to impose a moratorium on new hotels in the city. Schemes for new hotels were pushed though and contracts signed before her election.

With 9 million tourists last year, Barcelona is also reaching saturation point, especially as tourism is concentrated in only a small part of the city. Its airport is also the point of entry for the 18 million visitors who are expected in Catalonia this year.

Barceló said that taking in more and more tourists doesn’t necessarily bring economic benefits. “In the 1980s, when the Balearics had 6 million visitors, it was the region with the highest per capita income in Spain. Now, with 13 million, it has dropped to seventh place,” he said.

Meanwhile, Spain continues to lead the world as a seaside resort destination, with 586 beaches awarded blue flag status, nine more than last year.