The Seville Aquarium, a Commitment to Sea Turtles
The Seville Aquarium has been housing 44 Caretta caretta sea turtle hatchlings for several months. These specimens come from different areas of the Spanish coast but have a common link: the aquarium’s firm commitment to protecting animals, conserving biodiversity, and working for the sea.
Conservation, along with research and education, are the foundations upon which the Seville Aquarium was built. More than 7,000 animals are cared for daily, a great responsibility that gives meaning to the work of the center’s more than 40 employees.
This is the case with this marine species, which is part of the “head starting” breeding program, consisting of strengthening and subsequent release into the sea, and is carried out to contribute to the study and conservation of sea turtles, included in the list of endangered animals at risk of extinction.
“Aquariums are not just places of leisure; we would like people to know one of the fundamental values on which we base our work, conservation. Our center’s conservation project is sea turtles, the main foundation on which this center is built, the soul, the essence… a species with many threats that need everyone’s collaboration” states Rocío Alcázar, manager of the aquarium.
Conservation Project in Collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Junta de Andalucía
On the night of August 3rd to 4th, on the beach of “Los Boliches” in Fuengirola, a female Caretta caretta turtle built a nest and subsequently laid 72 eggs; an event that rarely occurs on the coasts of the Alboran Sea.
The eggs found were transferred by technicians from the Junta de Andalucía to “Cabopino” beach in Marbella, seeking a more protected space to try to ensure that most of them would reach term. When they hatched, the hatchlings were transferred to the CEGMA (Sustainable Management Centers for the Andalusian Marine Environment) in Algeciras, where they spent their first days. Some of these hatchlings were transferred to the facilities of the Seville Aquarium in September.
Conservation Project in Collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Territory of the Balearic Government
Throughout the summer of 2020, a large number of eggs were collected from various nests on the coasts of the Balearic Islands. After reaching a collaboration agreement with the Azul Marino Foundation in October of the same year, 29 of these turtles were transferred to the Seville Aquarium: 16 are from the nest found in Sa Mesquida and 7 from the nest in Cala Pilar, both on the island of Menorca. The remaining six are from Ibiza, from the nest on Es Cavallets beach.
The small turtles have been provided by the Ministry of Environment and Territory of the Balearic Government, within the collaboration plan that exists between different centers and regional organizations to develop the “head starting” program with turtles that are born (increasingly each year) from nests deposited on Mediterranean beaches.
Conserve and Educate
At this time, these turtle hatchlings are in perfect health under the daily supervision of the Seville Aquarium’s technical team, with temporary assistance from biologists of the Azul Marino Foundation. 12 of them can already be seen in the aquarium’s recovery tank, where they will spend the next few months completing their growth and strengthening in an environment more faithful to the natural medium. The rest of the animals are in the aquarium’s quarantine tanks and will soon move to the main tank.
“The presence of these emblematic reptiles represents a unique opportunity to educate the visiting public about the current state of threat that this species faces in its daily life in the marine environment” assures Susana Montero, responsible for the turtle project.
The hatchlings will remain in the facilities of the Seville Aquarium until they reach an optimal size that allows them to return to the sea with guarantees. The experiences carried out so far allow for great optimism because the survival rates of these animals upon entering the sea are around 90%, which means a success for the conservation of the species, given that it is estimated that, under natural conditions, only one turtle out of every thousand that are born survives its entry into the sea.