Release of 12 Caretta Caretta Turtles Born a Year Ago on a Beach in Pulpí
The Seville Aquarium participated this morning in the release of 12 Caretta caretta turtles on the beach of San Juan de los Terreros (Pulpí), to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day.
These specimens come from the nest located a year ago with 80 eggs in a small cove highly exposed to storms at the southern end of the beach, which is why the Territorial Delegation of Environment and Spatial Planning of the Junta de Andalucía decided to remove them from the nest.
These are the first turtles to be released, out of the 30 that were born, after having reached the ideal size. The remaining specimens will be released on subsequent occasions as optimal conditions for their release are met. Some of these turtles will be equipped with satellite transmitters to track their movements in a study directed by the Doñana Biological Station, belonging to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The data obtained from this study will be of great importance to understand the movement habits of these populations and propose the most appropriate management measures.
For this day, various environmental education activities have been organized with schools in the municipality, which have been carried out by the education staff of the Seville Aquarium and several members of the Man and Territory Association.
For the implementation of the programmed actions, with the collaboration of the Pulpí City Council, an area of about 50 meters of beach front by 35 meters wide has been cordoned off, in which a shaded space has also been arranged to keep the turtles in a cool environment and where beacons have been installed so that the animals could go towards the water without obstacles.
After conducting the relevant tests of the satellite transmitters installed on the turtles, the release of the turtles began, in which, in addition to the Aquarium staff, technicians from the Junta and CSIC, the people who gave notice of the presence of the nesting turtle, other volunteers who participated in the surveillance and recovery of the nest, and especially the children participating in the environmental education activities, took part.
The story of the little turtles…
Last year around this time, a family spending the night on the beach observed how a loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) came out of the water and exhibited strange behavior, so they decided to notify 112. The turtle built a nest and laid a total of 80 eggs that were transferred and incubated at the facilities of the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC) under the supervision of expert personnel from that organization.
After hatching, the 30 turtles born were distributed between the Andalusian Marine Environment Management Center of the Strait in Algeciras, under the Junta, and the Seville Aquarium so that they could reach the size that allows them to increase their chances of survival in the natural environment and to harden the shell that protects them against the large number of existing predators.
If you want to know more about the project for the restoration of nesting areas on the coasts of Almería by the Junta de Andalucía and the Doñana Biological Station, click here.