We had an interesting experience last evening. James and Cassie invited us to come over and visit but when we got there, they wanted us to go with them to a "turtle release" down the beach a 10-12 minute walk. We arrived at a small palapa, that's a thatched roof with no sides so that it gives shade but allows the breezes to cool you. Next to it was a tight fence made from the ribbing of palm leaves around an area about 20x20' . The palm leaf ribs are thin but are sturdy strips that when placed close together can make a good barrier for about anything. Villagers here often used them to wall up their houses or at least their outdoor kitchen. This gives privacy but allows air flow. This fencing was erected to keep dogs and other people from digging up the turtle nests and eating the eggs. One of the local village men had taken the initiative to get several volunteers to help him and nightly they have spent hours combing the beach with flashlights, watching for the big sea turtles to come in, dig a deep 2-3' hole, and lay their eggs. These volunteers then took the eggs and reburied them in the fenced-in area and marked them as to where the eggs were buried and how many days till their expected hatching. There can be 150 or more eggs in a single nest and they hatch out between 50-70 days.
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| Turtle nest |
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| Baby turtle in hand |
We walked into the fenced in area where Oscar, the man who initiated the program, was kneeling on the ground near a marker. By the number of wooden markers in the ground, it looked as though there were about 30 nests. He explained that each day, he unburies a top portion of them and finds the baby turtles that have hatched and that are working their way to the top. Between Dec. Jan. and Feb. he and others are thus working to bury the eggs and release the babies as they hatch. While we were watching along with several other observers from the base and from the village, he dug into six of the nests and removed close to a hundred baby turtles. He put them all in a big tub and hauled it out of the fenced area to release them on the sand just outside the fence. We were probably still 35-40ft from the sea. Some of the baby turtles took off heading for the sea right away. Some remained in the same spot where they were placed. We waited about 15 minutes then loaded the active ones into the tub to take them closer to the sea. The remaining ones who either stayed still or moved very slowly would go back to a crib to be held till they were fully active and ready.
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| Release test |
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| Catching to carry closer to sea |
The tub was set about 15 yards from the incoming waves and we all selected and picked up several each. He drew a line in the sand and counted to three so that everyone would release them at the same time and we could watch them together. Of course some were far more ready and therefore faster than others but it was very exhilarating to watch them instinctively head for and reach the sea. They would often be tumbled in the strong flow of the wave as it came in but then receded quickly before the baby turtle could be fully washed out to sea. Usually by the second incoming wave, the baby turtles had flapped out far enough that the outgoing water would carry them on out. We were told that by releasing them at dusk, their coloring would blend with the water so that they would be less visible to their prey, and it would be a time when the fish were less likely to be in their eating frenzy. Thus, it might ensure a few more of the turtles surviving. The usual percentage of survival has been recorded by marine biologists as only 1%.
The sun set was beautiful on the horizon as we walked back along the sandy beach towards it, talking about the fascination of the earth and inhabitants God has made, the instincts He has put within them, and will of all to live.
