Cozumel, Q. R. — Over 500 baby sea turtles have hatched already this season on the island of Cozumel. According to the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel (FPMC), the first 570 baby sea turtles were located on beaches of the Punta Sur Turtle Camp.
The technical manager of the Punta Sur Tortuguero Camp, Ricardo Peralta Muñoz, reported that this week, the first seven nests hatched from which 570 hatchlings emerged.
“As soon as they were born they returned to the sea where they will begin their life cycle,” he said in a statement.
He said the participation of volunteers, who have committed to the FPMC’s sea turtle protection program, is very demanding since every day they have to walk the camp’s beaches at night, sometimes until dawn since it is the time when the turtles arrive to lay their eggs.
To date, 292 sea turtles have laid eggs in that area. The FPMC says 100 of those nests are loggerhead and 192 are white and green turtles.
“Work continues in favor of the preservation of endangered species as stipulated in the New Agreement for the Well-being and Development of Quintana Roo promoted by Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa,” explained the director of the Center for Conservation and Environmental Education (CCEA), Rafael Chacón Díaz.
He said that night tours have been intensified to locate turtle nests and mark them accordingly to protect them. He says that so far this season, 292 nests have been registered, which he considers an indicator that it will be a good season.
