Sea Turtle Conservation

Rescue Center Visitors Can Help Release Endangered Baby Hatchlings

Jan 8, 2009

Mexico has seven of the eight species of marine turtles existing in the world today, many of whom are on the brink of extinction.

For this reason, the country supports conservation programs which aid in the survival of endangered sea turtles.

One such government sponsored program operating in the state of Guerrero, is run by local environmentalist Victor Verdeja. The Sea Turtle Rescue Center, open daily, offers travelers the unique opportunity to release a baby sea turtle safely onto its journey around the world. 260,000 turtles are released annually. The best season to visit is from October to April due to the birth pattern of the turtles.

Mother Turtles Abandon Babies

After a mother has laid her eggs, she covers the nest and immediately heads back to the sea. Once the eggs are deposited in the sand, certain conditions of humidity and temperature are needed in order for them to hatch. Around 30 to 40 degrees will produce females and lower temperatures of 25 to 29 degrees will produce males. The small turtles finally emerge from the eggs after 45 to 60 days of incubation. Rescue Center staff protects the turtles from predators and monitors the hatchlings until they are approximately three days old.

Turtle Release

After visitors view the hatchlings in various stages of development, they are led down to the ocean shore. Each person is handled a baby turtle who they may name before the release. At the signal, tour-goers set their babies down onto the sand to begin their trek to the sea; some go in straight lines and others at an angle. It can take up to 25 minutes for a baby to complete this maneuver because if they meet a wave and are thrown back to the sand, they must start all over again. (It would be easier to walk up to the water and place the turtle in directly, but if this is done, as adults they wouldn’t know where to come back to lay their own eggs}. Now is an ideal time to take a photo, but because their earthy color blends with the hues of the sand, it is easy to lose track of one’s personal turtle.

Marine turtles are descendants of land turtles and live in almost all the oceans of the world. It is believed that they had their origin 150 million years ago.

For more information on sea turtle survival, visit the Caribbean Conservation Corporation site which states, “CCC has chosen sea turtles as the focus of its conservation efforts in part because these ancient creatures are among the most important indicators of the health of the world’s marine and coastal ecosystems. CCC believes that whether sea turtles ultimately vanish from the planet or whether they remain a wild and thriving part of the natural world, will speak volumes about both the general health of the planet and the ability of humans to sustainably coexist with the diversity of life on Earth."

The copyright of the article Sea Turtle Conservation in Environmentally Responsible Travel is owned by June Smith. Permission to republish Sea Turtle Conservation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.