By Wendy Anders

 
During a routine round along the Caribbean coast this morning at 2:00 am, Costa Rica coast guard officials found a giant leatherback sea turtle tied up, ostensibly to later be killed.

They released the animal, which had been tied up at Barra de Pacuare, a coastal village in between Tortuguero National Park and Limón port town.

Police and coast guard are currently carrying out a series of actions to prevent illegal activities by poachers, said a security ministry press statement.
 
Their night-time and early morning rounds are concentrated on beaches and near river mouths in the counties of Matina and Pococi. The region north of Limón port town is attractive to poachers due to the abundant wildlife in the swampy coastal area.
  
Last week police rescued several leatherback sea turtle and seven large iguanas near the Mondonguillo biological reserve in Matina, Limón.

Leatherback sea turtles are considered to be in vulnerable condition, one step below the endangered category on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.