30 protected loggerhead turtles released in Isla Plana
Turtle tracks have also been detected in Cabo de Palos
Thirty loggerhead turtles were released on the beach of Isla Plana in Cartagena this Wednesday, July 3, while in the last couple of days traces of loggerhead turtles have also been found on the Amoladeras beach in Cabo de Palos.
The specimens released in Isla Plana, which have an average weight of one kilo, come from the nest located a year ago in this same place after a sighting by several people living in the area, along with the Association for the Defence of the natural environment of La Azohía and Isla Plana (ADELA) and the staff of the Chiringuito Aloha.
The nest was moved to Calblanque beach to facilitate the task of monitoring and protecting the eggs until they hatched. Of the 117 eggs which were found, 51 hatched.
All the specimens released this Wednesday are identified with a microchip under their skin which will allow biologists to track them and collect information on their behaviour.
In the next few weeks, the other 21 loggerhead turtles will be released.
In addition, a biologist from Cartagena City Council has been assigned to the beach in Cabo de Palos to the area to locate the turtle or turtles there and ensure that nothing impedes their ability to lay eggs.
Loggerhead turtles, known in Spanish as ‘tortuga boba’, is classified as a ‘vulnerable’ species, according to Spanish Royal Decree Law 139/2011, of 4 February, for the development of the List of Wildlife Species under Special Protection Regime and the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species and as ‘Endangered’ for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
If you do see a loggerhead turtle on the beach, or even just the tracks of one, the official advice is to call the emergency telephone number in Spain 112 immediately and notify the authorities.
The tracks left by loggerhead turtles in the sand on the beach can be similar to those left by the wheels of a tractor, but even if you only suspect it may be a loggerhead turtle, it is still worth reporting it just in case.
In no case should you ever interact with a turtle yourself as this can stress the animals out and prevent them from laying those all-important eggs.
In Alicante this year, sniffer dogs have been brought in to help locate turtle nests to better track and protect this vulnerable species.
Images: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
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