On 30 September, exactly 45 days after the mother turtle laid her eggs near the cafe, the baby turtles began to hatch on their own in the ice box we stored them in. The following day, we dug down to the ones at the bottom and helped the rest out of their shells and from under the moist sand.
With the help of our waitresses, Yuli and Selene, we gathered together many of the local kids plus some Chac Mool regulars for the release just after the sunset. Luckily for the turtles, we waited for the predatory gaviotas (gulls) to go to bed. Unluckily for us, the mosquitos were out in force!
None of the kids seemed to notice though, as they clamoured around the box of wriggling turtlets. With the promise of being able to each release one, the 15 or so of them, ranging from kinder age to 14, got into an orderly row and awaited their new-born buddies.
Out of the 79 turtles that hatched from the nest of 106, virtually all got to the sea in good time and without help. Their instincts directed them instantly towards their new home and source of nutrients, the Pacific Ocean.
We can only hope that one of them will one day return to their native beach to lay its eggs. Unfortunately, only 1 out of every 1,000 turtles successfully released to the sea will survive to lay eggs.
Special thanks go to Vicente & Marco, of the Turtle Camps at, respectively, Playa Naranjo and Playa Tortugas, for their advice and support. They both do very important work to keep the species alive and are always looking for volunteers (hint hint!!)
