Baby Sea Turtle Release

Turtle nesting area

One evening at sunset in Puerto Vallarta, my husband and I met with some other tourists next to a hatching area for baby Ridley turtles. The resort participates in a conservation project that collects eggs that mother turtles lay on the beach and puts them into “nests” buried under the sand. The eggs then incubate for anywhere from 45 to 90 days. Once the babies hatch, they dig their way to the top where they are kept for a day before being released.

Let us out!

While the babies were scrambling over each other and up the sides of the box to “race” to the open ocean, we had a brief talk by two of the staff who cares for the eggs and newborns.

 

Hello Manuel

Manuel -- FREEDOM!

We were then each given a baby to name prior to releasing them. Steve had to go for Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory and I had to name mine Manuel from Faulty Towers (TV program in the UK). We lined up at dusk and were handed our squirming little babies who couldn’t wait to get free. At the count we released our babies and watched them crawl over the rippled sand towards the waves that would take them on their journey to adulthood – hopefully. Manuel hurried headfirst towards to ocean while Sheldon, true to his character, had to stop and analyze the situation and take his time. He finally had to be helped into the waves!

Final moments before release

Normally, the breeding season runs from July through December but there were still plenty of babies to release that week. Puerto Vallarta’s Banderas Bay is a breeding ground for six of the seven kinds of turtles.

The Mexican government set up a sea turtle protection program around 30 years ago because there was a danger that they were becoming extinct. Only about 1% of the babies ever reach adulthood so the protection program is very important. The turtles, who return to the beach where they were born, don’t reach reproductive maturity until between 8 and 12 years old so it’s amazing that any of them survive.  Many of the resorts, hotels and tour programs participate in releasing thousands of turtles each year. Combining tourism with the protection program is a benefit to the environment as well as the economic development of the area,

If you are planning a trip to Puerto Vallarta during the turtle breeding season, it’s definitely worth participating in one of the release programs! The babies are adorable and it’s helping to protect these turtles for many years to come. 

Hasta luego Manuel!