On Friday 6th September, two Loggerhead turtle nests were excavated on
the nearby beach at the village of Rapaniana.
In total,
nearly two hundred empty shells were recovered along with twelve unfertilised
eggs and four dead hatchlings. It’s
considered a good result for the nests but only one in one thousand hatchlings
will survive to return to the exact same spot for nesting in around thirty
year’s time.
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| Channel for the hatchlings |
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| Carefully digging down to the nest |
Parasols on
the beach are a major problem for the turtles which return to the same nesting
area every three to four years. Light
pollution also causes confusion for the hatchlings which head towards the
brightest lights after emerging from the nest.
This should be the moon and the ocean but can often be harsh lighting
from nearby hotels and tavernas.
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| Measuring the depth of the nest |
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| Empty hatchling shells |
Archelon
volunteers: www.archelon.gr have worked
closely with local officials and hoteliers to combat some of these problems and
one successful solution was to black-out paint one side of street lamps casting
light away from the beach.
By Donna Southgate-Smith
