November 2009 Turtle Numbers are in:
Nests:
- Loggerhead: 102
- Green: 100
Hatchlings:
- Loggerhead: 9010
- Green: 9717
The sea turtle season is almost finished. This has been a low year; CEA
had to finish its turtle walks almost two months early.
Caretta caretta (Loggerhead): 99
nests and 7,389 hatchlings
Chelonia mydas (Green Turtle): 92
nests and 3,855 hatchlings
If you want to support this program, you may join us on our hatchlings'
releases. Donations are always welcome.
Releases occur almost every weekday, Monday to Friday at 7PM at Centro
Ecológico Akumal. Please check before, to see if we have baby turtles to
release the day you want to come.
For further information please contact: Armando Lorences Camargo, Sea
Turtle Program Coordinator, tortugas@ceakumal.org
.
Help the turtles by following these simple guidelines when you are on the coast:
- Change lights facing the beach areas to amber or red colored bulbs; or even better, change the direction of the lighting so lights shine from the edge of your property toward the building, not toward the beach. Bright lights disorient the turtles.
- If you are going to be on the beach at night and need some light, use amber or red light on your flashlight, illuminating the path only.
- Do not leave objects (beach chairs, floats, kayaks, etc) on the beach, as they may obstruct the turtles’ path as she crawls up the beach to find a place to nest.
- Do not make excessive noise at night from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., during the nesting season (May to October). The noise frightens the turtles.
- If you see a turtle arriving, making a nest or laying her eggs, do not approach her, nor shine a light towards her, and please, no flash photos. Please notify Centro Ecológico Akumal staff (CEA) of any sightings.
- If you see hatchlings coming out of the sand, stay nearby and make sure they find their own way to the sea. Do not pick them up or play with them.
- When you visit the beaches, please pick up any garbage even if it’s not yours. Help us to keep the beaches clean.
- Always dispose of plastic waste properly; so much plastic is floating around at sea and the turtles mistake it for food, filling their bellies with toxic plastics and eventually dying.
Check the CEA Site for updates on this year's turtle numbers. |
