Getting to watch nature in action is a privilege, not a right, and sometimes humans can interfere where they aren’t welcome.

That’s what happens in this story from Reddit, where a casual observer notices others interfering, and calls in government agents to stop it.

Read the details and decide whether or not you think he did the right thing.

AITA For calling the cops on adults and children for picking up sea turtle hatchlings

I am on vacation this week with my family at a beach that is known for loggerhead sea turtle nesting.

This is the prime time for nests to start hatching and around 100 turtles make their way to the ocean.

Tonight was extremely exciting because my wife and I came upon a group of people watching a nest that had movement and turtles were going to scramble out.

It’s going to be a beautiful experience for the tourists, but someone else has a different idea.

This is where the problem starts.

A homeowner, Jane, and her children are watching with their red lights spotlighting directly into the opening.

Jane is acting like a turtle expert and giving information about the entire process.

Since the process is taking a long time she said there must have been a crab eating the hatchlings.

Suddenly, Jane is an expert in the field, and oversteps proper boundaries.

Jane starts moving what appears to be dead sea turtles off the top of the nest and gently tossing them aside.

Within seconds an explosion of turtles pop up and start making their way out.

Now the children are making a barrier with their hand to force the turtles toward the ocean.

Their red lights are still trained on the nest and they start to follow the turtles around the beach.

Instead of moving out of the way they are guiding the turtles by either blocking them from heading up the beach or carrying them to the water.

They are interfering with the natural process, and while it feels like they are doing good, they could absolutely be causing long-term harm.

I called the cops because the turtles are protected by federal law and cannot be disturbed.

I was told by the cops that the Department of Natural Resources was going to write tickets to each of them and it was going to be “a steep fine”.

Jane doesn’t get to play Mother Nature, and she will literally pay for it.

I know these people have good intentions and want the best for the turtles.

I also know that loggerheads are endangered and should have special care to make sure the species thrives.

Did I screw up by calling the cops and potentially costing them a ton of money?

Good intentions and bad actions?

We will let Reddit be the judge of that.

Nature is a harsh mistress but the author did the right thing.

Another commenter wonders why it might be a bad thing to help the turtles?

This commenter says the author did the right thing, but can’t fault the woman for trying.

If she were actually an expert, she would let nature run its course.

Those organizations exist for a reason, says this commenter.

Doing a nice thing isn’t always the right thing.

This story is an example as to why.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.