Woman accused of stomping on sea turtle nest in Miami Beach
Yaqun Lu (Photo: Miami-Dade Corrections)
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (FOX 13) - Police in South Florida arrested a woman accused of purposely disturbing a sea turtle nest on a beach.
Miami Beach police said officers and bystanders saw 41-year-old Yaqun Lu grab a wooden stake from the roped-off nesting area. She then was seen "jabbing at the sea turtle nest and stomping all over the nest with her bare feet."
According to the Miami Herald, the nest was in closed-off section of the beach, surrounded by yellow tape along with a posted "Do Not Disturb" sign.
"Thankfully, it appears the eggs were not damaged," Miami Beach police tweeted.
Lu is a citizen of China who listed an address in Michigan. She faces a felony charge of molesting marine turtles or eggs and is being held on $5,000 bond. The arrest report says the Chinese consulate in Houston was notified about the arrest.
Sea turtles are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as well as by Florida's Marine Turtle Protection Act. They make it illegal to disturb, destruct, molest or harass turtles, nests or eggs, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.