Ilonka
07-28-2012, 12:02 AM
I live in Puerto Rico and spring/summer is turtle nesting season. The hotel I work at , St.Regis Bahia Beach , is a certified Audubon nature reserve and we have 200 acres of forest and beaches that are completely private and undisturbed.
And our pride and joy are the leatherbacks that nest at our hotel! Tonight was the first time I saw a turtle hatching, it was so amazing and the little guys were adorable!
The staff were allowed to get up close and personal with the little ones and help out :D
Next year I'm hoping to see an adult cuz iv never seen one and everyone tells me they are huge and its amazing to see how big they are. Here are a few pics I was able to take.
4851
When they started comming out
4852
I got to hold one, but he was really energetic and wanted to waddle out of my hands!
4853
Each turtle was counted and checked and any sick or weak ones are taken to a facility in the hotel and cared for and released when they are better.
There were about 20 in total, less than the previous years, lots of eggs didn't hatch...
It's sad because the leather back is an animal that travels all over caribbean and atlantic so our population count is important not only on our island but everywhere else and they are dropping alarmingly.
And our pride and joy are the leatherbacks that nest at our hotel! Tonight was the first time I saw a turtle hatching, it was so amazing and the little guys were adorable!
The staff were allowed to get up close and personal with the little ones and help out :D
Next year I'm hoping to see an adult cuz iv never seen one and everyone tells me they are huge and its amazing to see how big they are. Here are a few pics I was able to take.
4851
When they started comming out
4852
I got to hold one, but he was really energetic and wanted to waddle out of my hands!
4853
Each turtle was counted and checked and any sick or weak ones are taken to a facility in the hotel and cared for and released when they are better.
There were about 20 in total, less than the previous years, lots of eggs didn't hatch...
It's sad because the leather back is an animal that travels all over caribbean and atlantic so our population count is important not only on our island but everywhere else and they are dropping alarmingly.