The week of August 20 to 25 there were very special moments in Reserva Playa Tortuga, as the first two releases of baby turtles were made in the 2018 season.
© Camille Baile
A total of 164 hatchlings started their journey across the oceans. In case any of these hatchlings survive and if they are females, they will return to this same beach to nest, approximately in 25 to 30 more years.
Unfortunately the statistics are not very favorable for the conservation of this and other species of sea turtles, of which only 1 in 1000 will reach maturity. The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is sadly famous, because it is the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world.
The Olive Ridley turtle is in danger of extinction due to various factors, some natural, such as predators, but there are other external factors, of which the human being is responsible, such as the commercialization of eggs and turtle meat, and all the pollution. All the garbage that we generate every day, especially the plastic, come in one form or another to the oceans, directly affecting not only the sea turtles but all the species that live in the sea.
©Lainneker Sanchez
We invite you to help in the conservation of the Kemp’s ridley turtle and prevent it from passing to the sad list of extinct animals; to participate actively in cleanings of beaches and rivers that are organized in the different areas; to eliminate or reduce the use of plastic; to recycle; to denounce the illegal sale of turtle eggs, etc. Every effort, however small it may seem, counts!
Reserva Playa Tortuga is a non-profit biological research and education center formed in 2009 by community members (“citizen scientists”) and Costa Rican scientists.