Reduced Human Activity Leads To Record Number Of Sea Turtles Hatching On Mexico Beach

The coronavirus-induced pandemic changed a lot of things that we didn't like or downright hated but our environment, it seems, was able to benefit from it.

A record number of sea turtles have hatched in Mexico. According to experts, lack of human activity around the beaches is the reason the endangered turtles, Olive Ridley sea turtles could thrive so well.

Also read: 6 Eco-Warriors Are Cleaning Up A Beach In Odisha To Save Olive Ridley Turtles

El Imparcial

More than 2,250 eggs hatched into baby turtles on the Mancha Blanca beach in El Desemboque, a small town in Sonora in Mexico and were later released into the Sea of Cortez.

According to the indigenous conservation group Tortugueros del Desemboque, usually the number of turtles to be released is 500-1000. A member of the Comcaac tribe and organizer of the turtle rescue program, Mayra Estrella Astorga said that even more are expected to hatch and be released in the coming weeks. She also said how the pandemic created complicated economic situations while bringing in sickness and death among her people, but this ¡®miracle¡¯ is a silver lining.

"That's why we are so happy that in the middle of this tragedy, this miracle of nature happened ¡ª as a result of fewer fishing boats and tourists, but also through the efforts of the community,¡± she said.

Also read: 10,000 Baby Turtles Get First Taste Of The Sea, Released On Bali¡¯s Shores

El Imparcial

Thousands of female turtles showed up ashore simultaneously to the nesting ground, which remains the same year after year. They can nest multiple times a year and every time, around 100 eggs can be laid. The process is called Arribada, which is Spanish for 'arrival.'

Once the female turtles lay the eggs, they go back to the sea and leave the unborn babies to fend for themselves. After a period of two months, the turtles hatch out of the eggs. Since human activity was almost next to none during the COVID-19 pandemic, the eggs survived and hatched.

Also read: 20 Turtles Dead, Dozens Trapped In Plastic Waste On World's Longest Beach

EPA

Astorga added, ¡°This is the work I love to do, and it was a great success this year".