Traditional "Lagarteada"
To Continue Despite
Warning by Authorities
Residents of Guanacaste
say they will continue
with the "Guanacasteca"
tradition of hunting a "lagarto"
(crocodile) on Good
Friday even though the
Ministerio de Ambiente y
Energía (MINAE) has
prohibited the capture
of the reptiles.
MINAE (Environment and
Energy ministry)
officials feel the hunt
is a cruelty to the
animals and alters their
habitat.
Residents of the
Guanacaste community of
Ortega where the
tradition is held every
year are opposed to the
MINAE order and say will
go ahead with the
tradition.
The MINAE has threatened
the residents with
police action, saying it
will ask the Fuerza
Pública to post officers
along the Río Tempisque
to stop the residents
from their hunt.
The tradition goes back
100 years.
Notwithstanding the
battle between the MINAE
and the residents, the
women of the community
have been busy readying
for the arrival of
hundreds of area
tourists who come to see
the annual event and
enjoy traditional foods
specific of the area.
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