|
In front of me, expertly steering our cumbersome ATV, was Don Manuel, fondly known as the Abuelo de las Tortugas (The Turtles' Grandfather), a moniker he earned from saving thousands of sea turtles over the years. "Mira," he said, pointing to the sand as our vehicle sputtered to a halt.
Turtle tracks stretched from the water to above the high tide line. Following them, we saw flipper-sized sweeps in the sand where a turtle had camouflaged her nest. Despite a Mexican law making it a crime to kill turtles or disturb their nests, the poaching of turtles for meat and their eggs remains. If we found the eggs, we would transfer them to a protected nursery.
Digging in the warm sand with our hands, about two feet down, we found a clutch of more than 100 eggs. Don Manuel removed one egg, illuminating its interior with a flashlight to see if the yolk sac had begun to form. If it had, moving the egg would damage the embryo. But, these eggs were relatively new and showed no such development. Grinning, he gave me a "thumbs up," and I began to carefully transfer the eggs from the nest to a bag.
Unlike a chicken's egg, the ping-pong sized eggs were soft and leathery, nature's protection from being dropped in the nest and then buried under heavy sand with lots of brothers and sisters. We transplanted the eggs in a fenced-in nursery, safe from predators. The eggs would incubate and hatch 45-60 days later, depending on the sand's temperature. The temperature would also dictate the sex of the turtle. The warmer the sand, the more females are produced.
The nursery rested on the upper part of the beach, away from the far reaches of the waves. Turtles lay eggs above the high tide line since eggs are permeable and require oxygen for the embryo to develop. If water covers the nest, the embryos will drown. Dozens of sticks marked each nest with data on the number of eggs below and estimated hatching date.
When the big day arrived for hatchlings to emerge, we took turns checking the nest. Suddenly, the ground had erupted with silver dollar-sized turtles, opening their huge eyes to a new world. As if on cue, they turned toward the ocean and scampered down the beach, one after the other. They raced to the water to prevent dehydration and to avoid becoming a meal for the ghost crabs and other predators. During this phase, hatchlings imprint information, much like having their own internal GPS, to enable them to return to the same location to nest in future years.
The force of the humongous waves caused some hatchlings to be hurled high into the air, while others were swallowed in the backwash. They would begin a swimming frenzy out to sea lasting approximately 24 hours and then reside under a canopy of floating seaweed.
In a nest of 100 eggs, without human or animal predation, most will hatch, but the real challenge for these hatchlings is getting to the water without getting picked off by a hungry gull or crab; then once in the water not falling prey to a fish or pelican. It is estimated that only one out of 1000 hatchlings will survive to maturity.
The first sea turtles appeared during the late Jurassic Era, about 150-million years ago. They were swimming in the ocean when dinosaurs roamed the earth. After surviving geologic upheavals, meteor crashes and ice ages, it's ironic that now in the 21st Century, these creatures are at risk of disappearing.
Most biologists recognize six species of sea turtles. All are threatened or endangered. Besides their natural predators, humans have, in some cases unwittingly, contributed to the demise of the turtle population as well. The development of the coastline, increased vehicular traffic on beaches, accidental catch of turtles in fishing nets, as well as the daily barrage of trash and pollution, and continued poaching create seemingly insurmountable odds for the turtles.
But, hope is on the horizon. The National Marine Fisheries Service developed a Turtle Excluder Device (TRD), which allows the turtles to escape to safety before becoming entrapped in trawlers' nets. This technology is catching on worldwide. ASUPMATOMA has trained staff at several hotels in Los Cabos regarding protocol if turtles appear close to resorts. They also initiated the "Adopt a Highway" program in 1991 to reduce the amount of trash that ends up in the ocean. A plastic bag floating in the water looks like a jellyfish, a favorite food for some sea turtles, but ingesting it is fatal.
My last night at the reserve, I watched silently as a turtle emerged from the waves--a primordial and beautiful sight. She laboriously crawled up the beach. The weight of her shell, out of the water, pressed against her lungs and caused her to occasionally stop to catch her breath. She laid her eggs on the same beach where she once, herself, had hatched. Hopefully, one summer night years from now, her offspring would do the same.
Punta Rancho San Cristobal, a 1000-acre reserve, is an idyllic venue for those who want to take part in the Sea Turtle Rescue Program. ASUPMATOMA offers these trips through San Diego based Baja and Beyond Tours (www.bajabeyond.com) Participants in the program search the beaches at night for nesting turtles, release hatchlings and take part in discussions about turtles. Trips occur during the fall months.
Article by Lynn Mitchell
|
