A Profile in Courage

Standing up for what's right, at all costs, is the hallmark of true courage and conviction.  Kimberly Blackwell had such courage...such conviction.  Blackwell was found brutally murdered on the patio of her remote home on the Osa peninsula, bordering Corcovado National  Park.  She had acquired a tract of land and planted cocoa trees and started a chocolate making business in order to hire locals and dissuade them from illegal hunting, or poaching.  She would confront poachers on her land, often shooting at them with a BB gun.  It is likely that her strong stand against illegal poaching is what led to her murder.  The case has yet to be solved and local police in the community of Puerto Jiminez had two suspects that they had to let go due to lack of evidence.  In a country where murders generally go unsolved, it is likely that as time passes so does any chance of finding the culprits of this brutal and senseless murder.  What will happen to the chocolate factory, known as Samaritan Xocolata?  I read that her family has vowed to keep it in operation.  Many might say the lady was eccentric and foolish to risk her life in order to defend the rights of animals in the jungle.  But that is what she believed in and she stood for her beliefs in the face of danger.  I wish I could have known this valiant warrior for sustainability in the heart of Costa Rica's most biodiverse area.