Annual Crab Migration Led To Sensational Scene In Coastal Tourist Spot

A crab attempts to cross the highway at Giron Beach at the Bay of Pigs 90 miles south of Havana, Cuba, in this March 24, 2001, file photo. Crabs are a major inconvenience for cars on the roads along the Playa Giron, which is now an international tourist center. (Jorge Rey/Newsmakers)

Travelers to Cuba’s Bay of Pigs, a southern coastline region in the country, recently experienced a colorful invasion courtesy of crustacean visitors. The Bay of Pigs is historical for being where United States-aided Cuban exiles landed in 1961 in an attempt to end Fidel Castro’s revolution, and the area lies in a national park where much of the country’s wildlife can be viewed. Another wildlife visitor, the land crab, brings a migration phenomenon that happens every year, but one that saw a boost due to a couple of factors this season.

Tourists in the month of March were treated to a heavy migration of crabs to the southern coast of Cuba, partially brought on by an early spring rain triggered by a cold front. Local residents of the Bay of Pigs area reported that the crab emergence was “unprecedented,” and early for the spring season, according to Reuters.