In Mexico we got to be a part of the safety of the sea turtles. Tagging helps see the patterns where females are nesting, and helps determine migratory habits.
Tagging and conservation is a big part of protecting the sea turtles. Down the beach from where we were staying was a park protecting the sea turtles.Sea turtles are being protected around the world. They told us they were endangered, so they were protecting them. Also, moving the eggs to a safe environment would protect them from predators. Only about one in every thousand that hatch actually survives in the wild, so getting as many to hatch as possible is a great thing.
We got to hold the turtles, and then went down to the water when it got dark out. They required the baby turtles down there too.
There is a whole sheet of paper work to fill out when a nesting female is seen. They gave everyone 2 or 3 3 baby sea turtles that we let go into the water. Every night time all night someone is patrolling the beaches to make sure every nesting female is tagged, and that they nest is definitely accounted for. It was a neat encounter to see that many baby sea turtles going into the water. This is the same type of point as in Mexico, where they are providing every turtle the best chance possible for survival. We were able to actually stay at the reserve as volunteers this time though. The volunteers get to go along on the beach patrols. None of us were able to move after we let them proceed because not all of them made it to the water right away. This is done with a hand held gun which is similar to piercing your ear.
If the female hasn’t already been tagged, the ranger or a volunteer will tag the female. They want to know how many eggs are laid, and everything about the nesting woman. They always check the female 1st with a transmitter to observe if she has been tagged though. We all stood in a collection where the water just reached us. They aren’t the kind to stay in one place, and they only come ashore to nest. They want to know everything, so all the paper work must be filled out correctly.
