Sea Turtles. Hundreds Of Newly Hatched Olive Ridley Turtles
Over the last few days we have been checking out opportunities for conservation expeditions on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala, near the town of Monterrico.
Gary and I were lucky enough to be invited to help out at the Banco el Tortugaria project. Over two days we assisted with the release of over 600 newly hatched Olive Ridley’s turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea).
This is one of the smallest species of sea turtle nests all along the Pacific coast of Central America, in some places this occurs with huge numbers of females nesting in the same stretch of beach at the same. This event is commonly known as an ‘arrabada‘.
Unlike other turtle species, the two species of this genus nest almost every year with up to seven clutches laid in a single season! Each clutch can contain almost 150 eggs. This year the turtle sanctuary or ‘tortugaria’ has been responsible for releasing over 50,000 hatchlings!
I can’t wait to visit this site in 2015 to help set up these new expeditions! These are exciting times!