The report (http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=37913) that the bodies of around 50 sealions have been found on the Galapagos Islands with crushed skulls indicating that they had been clubbed to death is very disturbing. The islands are, of course, strongly linked to the development of Charles Darwin's Theory of evolution and are a major tourist attraction of Equador for people interested in animal life and conservation. There have been other ocassions in the past where there has been conflict between people trying to conserve the locality for 'ecotourism' and others wanting a freer hand in exploiting the fisheries around the shores of this collection of islands. There appears to be no clear evidence about who carried out this act but fishermen the world over often seem to resent (sometimes with fatal consequences for the animals) sealions, seals and dolphins who are taking 'their' fish. It is very difficult to maintain such localities as human pressures increase.
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