Good news for sea turtles and wildlife lovers of Costa Rica: during August, HAWKSBILL sea turtles were released at Playa Hermosa de Osa, which would be the first recorded on this beach.
Normally, olive ridley turtles arrive in this sector and recently there were also historical records of Pacific green turtles, so now a new species is added!
The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nests on both the Caribbean and Pacific beaches of Costa Rica (mostly on the Osa peninsula) but its current populations are extremely small, and it is an endangered species mainly due to these threats :
the extraction of their nests
the hunt for meat
use of tortoiseshell from its shell
We look forward to continuing the good news during the 2021 turtle season. We appreciate the support of the Costa Ballena Lifeguard, park rangers, staff and volunteers from RPT and the community. And we remind you that those who wish to collaborate with night or morning monitoring at Playa Tortuga or Playa Hermosa can write to rptojochal@gmail.com or call 21013221
Reserva Playa Tortuga is a non-profit biological research and education center formed in 2009 by community members (“citizen scientists”) and Costa Rican scientists.