Turtles

During the last few months we may have mentioned that there are turtles breeding on the beach of Malena. Not just on, but four species. In June and July, a few hawksbill turtles come ashore to breed. August and September are the main season, almost every night a few Olive Ridley turtles crawl onto the beach to lay their eggs. In October and November a few loggerheads and leatherbacks visit Malena beach to deposit their eggs.

Until now, we went to the beach at night just once, in June, and we did not see a turtle. Since we do intend to take visitors there, we thought it was about time we tried again.

We went to the beach around 8 in the evening about two ours before high water. Our first round of the beach was in vain, nothing crawling in or out of the water. But on our second round, we met the Malena turtle patrol, this time Ana and Darien, and our first (Olive Ridley) turtle. Finding a meter long turtle on a dark beach is slightly more complicated than you might think. Turtles prefer dark nights and since bright lights might scare them away, one is supposed to use weak red lights to get around and find the turtles or their nests.

When we arrived, the turtle was already busy digging the nest. When that was finished, the turtle started laying which, judging from the grunts and sighs she produced, is quite an arduous task (I always thought turtles were mute). After depositing 102 eggs, she closed the nest and camouflaged her activities by shuffling around and pressing down the sand with her body and flippers. This proved to be much more effective than you think. Although we looked on while she laid her eggs, it took us 15 minutes to find the nest back once she left.

We took some pictures of the turtle while she was laying her eggs and of Ana digging them up and burying them again (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanagertourism/sets). The turtle patrol waits patiently until the turtle has laid her eggs and returns to the sea. Then they dig up the eggs and bury them again inside a cage built on the beach. In this cage the eggs are protected against the two main predators: stray dogs and poachers. When the eggs hatch, the turtles are released just outside the cage and guarded against crabs and other predators until they reach the sea.

We tried to take pictures without flash, but that resulted in images of darkness against a black background. So we used a weak flash and made sure the flash did not blind the turtle. Loes pursued the turtle on her way to the sea to take some pictures. Focusing the camera on a turtle hurrying to sea over a dark beach was, again, not very easy.

Most turtle specialists think you should definitely not use a flash before the turtle starts laying her eggs. And even after she has finished, using the flash is discouraged. Turtles lay more than once per year and specialists are afraid that a scared turtle might not come back to lay again that year. But then again, most turtle specialists will admit that they do not know very much about turtles and admit that most of these suggestions come from the ´better safe than sorry´ or the ´belts and braces´ approach.

That is, of course, very sensible. But on the other hand, if you want to encourage local people to protect turtles, they have to get something out of it. Patrolling the beach every night for half a year is quite an effort. The best way to make money is to invite tourists and get them to pay for the visit. And that is easiest if the tourists are allowed to make at least some photographs. We think that taking a few pictures should be allowed.

Anyway, while Ana was burying the eggs in the cage, the other, Darien already found another turtle coming onto the beach. The second one produced 108 eggs. We took some more pictures because this one had rather distinctive marks on her back. We might be able to recognize her if she comes again. What caused the marks is uncertain, for all we know it might have been an ambitious shark.