In the afternoon one of our volunteers found a baby turtle in the sand. We then noticed two of the nests in hatchery had hatched, about 150 turtles in all. We put the turtles in a bucket and set them free on the beach. They began to crawl toward the sea. We guarded them so no birds or crabs would get them.
Sometimes when they reached the ocean a wave would push them back all the way to the beginning and they would have to start again. The best waves would move them to the side, parallel to the beach and then gently pull them toward the ocean. All the sea turtles eventually made it to the ocean.
The hatchery is a fenced in area on the beach where we bring a few clutches of eggs to be watched and protected.
The reason we have the turtles crawl down the beach instead of just dumping them in the water is that the females will return to this same beach in about ten years to lay their own eggs and they have to remember or have it imprinted on them. The males will never go on land again.
This has been one of my most favorite parts of the trip.
I love the video! The baby turtles look very small. I assume you're holding one in your photo? (It's hard to tell.) About how big are they?
ReplyDeleteThey're about 4 inches long.
ReplyDeleteAren't the birds supposed to eat some of the turtles? Isn't that what nature intended? Is there a different group of American tourists advocating for the turtle-eating birds?
ReplyDeleteIs there a group of American tourists making sure the turtle-eating crabs are getting their fill?
ReplyDeleteNate, you are having such fascinating experiences! I really was awed by the video of the baby turtles. Thank you so much for that one!
ReplyDeleteAunt Snookie