SAN JUAN DEL SUR, Nicaragua (AFP) — Thousands of sea turtles laid their eggs on Nicaragua’s coast over the weekend under the watchful eye of the army, which protects the nests from possible predators — including humans. The olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) migrate for long distances to spawn between July and January in the Pacific coast wildlife refuges of La Flor and Chacocente, areas where the endangered species is protected against predators that […]
Tag: turtle
Endangered leatherback turtles hatch in Ecuador
QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Nine leatherback turtles — the largest endangered marine turtle in the world — were hatched along the coast of Ecuador, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday. The Dermochelys coriacea — the turtle’s scientific name — eggs were artificially incubated on the Punta Bikini beach, in the Manabi province in the southwest of the country. Rangers in the region had moved their nest after a harsh winter hit the coastal region. “This […]
Indonesian baby sea turtles make a break for freedom
BANYUWANGI, Indonesia (AFP) — Newly hatched, dozens of baby turtles flipped and flopped their way down a beach towards the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean, under the watchful gaze of conservationists at an Indonesian national park. Small enough to fit into the palm of a hand, some ended up on their backs, wriggling their tiny flippers helplessly as they tried to get back on track. But the conservationists did not interfere, as they wanted […]
160 turtles caught in plastic waste rescued from Bangladesh beach
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AFP) — About 160 sea turtles, many of them injured after getting entangled in plastic waste, have been rescued after washing up on one of the world’s longest beaches in Bangladesh, an official and conservationists said Wednesday. The Olive Ridley turtles began floating to shore at Cox’s Bazar with a huge mass of plastic bottles, fishing nets, buoys and other debris at the weekend. Survivors were released back into the Bay of […]
Aussie scientists turn to drones to protect sea turtles
BRISBANE, Australia (AFP) — Australian researchers have discovered they were underestimating numbers at the world’s largest sea turtle nesting site after turning to drone technology for the first time. Raine Island, off the northern tip of Australia, plays host to around 60,000 female green turtles who migrate hundreds of kilometers from the Great Barrier Reef to lay their eggs each year. Scientists working to protect the endangered species had struggled with how best to keep […]
300 endangered turtles found dead on Mexico beach
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — More than 300 sea turtles from an endangered species were found dead on a beach in southern Mexico, trapped in a banned type of fishing net, environmental authorities said. In Mexico’s second mass turtle death in as many weeks, the Pacific Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) were found floating just off the beach of Puerto Escondido in the state of Oaxaca, their shells forming a bleak mini-island. “They had drowned at […]
Better late than never: Mexico turtle declared new species
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AFP) — Slow and steady wins the race, the saying goes — and it seems to have worked for a small type of turtle native to western Mexico that has been declared a new species. For 20 years, residents of the area around Puerto Vallarta, a Pacific coast resort town, had been telling scientists about the little turtles native to their area. But it was only in May that zoologists were […]
Oil spill threatens India’s nesting turtles
CHENNAI, India (AFP) — Hundreds of students and fishermen were working Friday to clean up an oil spill on India’s southern coast that campaigners say threatens the turtles that nest there every year. The Indian Coast Guard said around 35 kilometers (21 miles) of coastline off the southern city of Chennai had been affected by the spill which occurred when two ships carrying fuel collided last week. Campaigners and fishermen have accused the government of […]
17,000 river turtles released in Peru national reserve
PACAYA SAMIRIA NATIONAL RESERVE, Peru (AFP) — Peru frees 17,000 yellow-spotted river turtles in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Each year, for a month, the Peruvian wild-life authorities free 500,000 of these turtles in the Loreto region north of Peru in order to maintain the level of this species. https://youtu.be/dGdTbxlDHng





