175,000 Turtle Hatchlings Released on Mexican Beach Latin American Herald Tribune
go to original June 27, 2015

Environmental authorities in Mexico have released 175,416 hatchlings of the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle at Playa Rancho Nuevo Sanctuary on the country’s northeastern Gulf coast.

More than 50 people kept watch over the Lepidochelys kempii hatchlings to prevent their death from heat along the 17.6-kilometer (11-mile) sanctuary, the Environmental Secretariat said in a statement.

During the June 15-19 hatching period, government personnel, volunteers and area residents provided protection to more than 3,000 nests, the statement said.

The rich diversity of swamps and mangroves in the protected area of Rancho Nuevo attracts the turtle Mexicans know as Tortuga lora.

Lora is the smallest species among sea turtles and is endemic in the Gulf of Mexico, especially in the waters off Tamaulipas state.

The Secretariat pointed out that the species may nest up to twice in the same season, while studies indicate the lora can lay eggs up to three times a year.

The average female lays 90 to 100 eggs and covers them with sand, allowing them to incubate for 45 to 60 days.

Mexico’s efforts to protect sea turtles began more than 40 years ago, the Secretariat said.

See the original at Latin American Herald Tribune

Photo: trekearth.com

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