A close-up of where the nests are re-buried and marked. Why is the survival rate so low? Te hatchlings must break out of their shells after a pe-
riod of 45 days, dig their way up to the surface, and then make the long trek back to the water. Along the way they are easy prey for predators, and they don’t fare much bet- ter once they are in the water. Hatchlings need to surface every three to four seconds making them an easy target for birds. It takes two years before they can breathe un- derwater for longer periods. Tere is even more danger awaiting them if they hatch during daylight hours while birds and other predators are searching for food. At the farm, staff members locate as many nests as they
can, carefully digging up the eggs and transporting them to their nursery – a fenced-in area along the beach. Each nest is marked with the date the eggs were laid and their expected hatch date. Staff monitor the nests, and when the turtles are ready to hatch, they cover the nests so none can escape during the day. Tis is where the tourists come in.
Ever so carefully volunteers helped gather up the hatchlings. We took a private tour with Luis de la Maza to the
farm. Luis is an extremely friendly and knowledgeable guide. During our 40 minute drive through the country- side, he regaled us with facts and information about his home state. Once we arrived at the beach, he and the staff explained to us how the turtle release would proceed. First, everyone needed to wash their hands, a crucial step so that the babies are not harmed by the chemicals we may have on our hands from creams, etc. Everyone was then provided with gloves, given a plastic container and listened to how important the work being done here is and how we would help. Divided into smaller groups, we walked to the covered nesting area, shown which nests were ready to dig and were assigned one. Tis was one of the most exciting parts for all of us. Carefully digging away the sand, about a foot down we could start to feel and see the hatchlings moving. Tey had already worked their way out of their shells and had dug halfway out of the nest. My two boys,
The babies were dug up and placed in large plastic containers.
thehubwinnipeg.com
Hatchlings slowly begin to wake up as we wait for dusk. Summer 2017 • 65
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