I had a couple of people ask what happened to the hatchlings that I showed you today. All hatchlings that are found during the day are placed carefully into a bucket which is then placed in a cool place. As soon as it gets dark, the biologists release them. They make sure to put them on the beach in approximately the same distance as was the nest (in other words, they don't just throw them into the ocean). This is important because this is part of the imprinting process, and the hatchlings learn what beach to come back to should they grow old enough to lay eggs. The scientists release them at night because there are fewer predators (mostly birds) around at night than in the day on the beach.
After our Skype session, I was on hatchery duty. The hatchery is a fenced-off sandy area near the beach. The biologist relocate eggs here if a turtle nest is below the tide line. This way, the eggs have a better chance of hatching. The biologist still monitor these nests like the others: they take the temperatures and keep track of how long the eggs have been there.
One nest in the hatchery hatched last night. There are currently three left in the hatchery, but on my watch, no hatchlings emerged. Oh well. At least I got to see a gorgeous sunset.
It is really nice that you are helping these endangered turtles.
ReplyDeleteThanks, John. I appreciate your comment!
DeleteMrs. Johnson,
ReplyDeleteThank you for Skyping with us yesterday. It really made BGs day.
Our advisory has a couple more questions for you and the naturalists. What are people doing to offset the endangered species of Leatherbacks? Are the poachers still a threat to the species? Have you guys considered trying to protect the eggs in order to help more of them survive (Noah suggested keeping some of the eggs in a safer place until they're ready to hatch and then releasing them into the wild)?
We hope you enjoy the rest of your trip down there. Enjoy the sun. It's gone missing here in the Newps!
- Mr. Arkin
Hey Arkinites!
DeleteThanks for the comment and questions. This particular project has been going on for about 20 years. In 1995, the scientific team here worked to get Playa Grande a National Park, so it is a protected area. Park rangers, along with the scientist, patrol the park at night to keep people - mainly poachers - off the beach. Also, Tera, whom you saw on the Skype, along with other biologists are working hard in the community to educate the people about the turtles to help the conservation efforts. So, poaching is not as big as a threat as it once was.
With respect to protecting the eggs, the scientists want to keep things as "natural" as possible, and only move a nest to the protected hatchery area if absolutely necessary (i.e. the nest is below the tide line & it will get destroyed by the tide). Also, by monitoring the nests and releasing exposed hatchlings at night versus the day allows for a greater chance that those hatchlings will make it to the ocean and not be eaten by predators.
Thanks!