on the West coast of Florida, we miss the peak of turtle hatching season, but one year we were there when the turtle volunteers dig up the remnants of the nests to see if they can help any late hatchers out. The nest disturbance seemed to push one little fellow out of his funk and he climbed up and started for the water, cheered on by about 10 folks gathered round to watch.
It’s not good to pick them up and take them to the water, they have to get there themselves (the crawl strengthens them so they can swim when they get there) but this little guy was pretty weak after trying to heave himself out of the nest for who knows how long, so one guy was picking shells and obstacles out of his way and making a little trough so the turtle had a slightly less challenging path. We saw him off to the water and cheered as he paddled away. Very neat to see.
Jul 11, 2006, 06:20PM PDT | 8 cheers | 0 comments
In Florida this can be a yearly experience! It’s very neat to see the instincts naturally lead them home.
Apr 03, 2006, 05:57AM PDT | 0 comments
Only joking I would never eat a turtle! I got to watch this amazing thing happening when I was backpacking around Australia. After a few rough months I got to Bundaberg and spent the last of my money on a nights stay in a nice hostel and luckily it was the last night that the hostel owners would take you out for $10 on their boat to a secluded beach where the turtles had laid their eggs. Amazing!! Loads of little tiny creatures starting the journey of life by climbing out of the sand and getting into the water. Just watching them struggle made you want to go and help them into the sea but of course you can’t. A brilliant night the memories of which i’ll forever cherish!!
Sep 17, 2005, 01:42AM PDT | 6 cheers | 0 comments
