From Cayman Islands Department of Environment

DoE urges residents not to dig up
turtle nests

23 September, 2019

A video circulating on
social media in Cayman earlier this month appears to show an
individual or individuals digging up a sea turtle nest and
encouraging the hatchlings to crawl along the sand toward the sea in
broad daylight.

Based
on Department of Environment (DoE) observations, those in the video
seem to have no ill intent and believe they are “rescuing” the
baby turtles. However, nature is not always so amenable to such good
intentions.

“By digging in turtle
nests before they naturally hatch, baby turtles can be removed before
they are ready to go to the ocean. It takes several days for their
bodies to straighten and strengthen after coming out of their eggs
and they may be released at times when they are less likely to
survive,” said Dr. Janice Blumenthal, DoE marine research officer.
“Releasing hatchlings in the daylight hours
makes them much more visible, and therefore vulnerable, to predators
on land, air and sea.”

This
nest disturbance is the third such incident to occur this month,
according to the DoE turtle team.

Hatchlings
that reach the surface of the sand during the day will typically wait
for the sand to cool, signaling the safety of the nighttime hours.
Sometimes in daylight a few hatchlings are visible at the
surface of the sand, but it is safer for those hatchlings and the 80
to 100 little turtles below them to wait until nightfall to emerge
and continue their journey to the sea.

“I know that locals and
visitors alike all feel a great affinity for our wild turtles. They
are a national treasure, part of our important heritage, and a
tourist attraction in their own right, for many years” said
Councilor for the Environment MLA Eugene Ebanks. “But these turtles
have been nesting in Cayman successfully from before people were
here, and the best thing we can do for them is leave any nest, or
nesting turtle, undisturbed.”

DoE scientists and
licensed volunteers excavate turtle nests after hatching and, from
time to time, they find a few live hatchlings inside the nests.
However, it is important to note that nests are only dug up after the
natural hatching has already occurred. Under no circumstances does
the DoE encourage releasing baby turtles in daylight, because it
gives them virtually no chance of survival.

“We
want to continue encouraging members of the public to support sea
turtle conservation, but do so in the right way,” said Environment
Minister, the Hon. Dwayne Seymour. “We don’t want anyone to
inadvertently put these animals at further risk.”

If a member of the public is concerned about a turtle nest, we ask that they call the DoE turtle hotline at 938-NEST (938-6378). Anyone seen interfering with a sea turtle nest, nesting turtle or turtle hatchlings should be reported by calling DoE Conservation Officers at 916-4271 or by calling 911.

IMAGES:

Caption: These photos are
still images of the video that was released on social media this
week, showing sea turtle hatchlings wandering down to the sea in
broad daylight. They are unlikely to survive in such conditions.