Kenya records green turtle baby boom
A baby boom is particularly exciting when it involves an endangered species. In Kenya, green turtle hatchlings have emerged from their sandy nest to venture into the ocean and hopefully help the declining population regain some strength. Conservationists reported an increase in green turtle hatchlings along the southern coast of Kenya, a huge win for the endangered species.
The hatchlings are being watched over by the Tiwi Turtle Police. This group has been monitoring the nest since a female green turtle laid her 102 eggs three months prior. The Tiwi Turtle Police was started by the Coconut Lodge beach hotel owner. The Kenya Wildlife Service, Prowin Pro Nature and the local fishing community all help to run its operations, according to Africa News.
The group patrol 12km of coastline, keeping the area free of litter and monitoring nests to ensure the safety of the eggs.
The nest monitoring has played a significant role in increasing the survival rate of the hatchlings, which in turn has impacted the green turtle boom. Crabs, crows, dogs, seagulls, pollution and humans are the many dangers these hatchings face in reaching the ocean. Swalehe Mkambe, a local fisherman and member of the Tiwi Turtle Police said: ‘I love this, because before we started doing this, these turtles used to be eaten. I was not happy about that, because these turtles attract many other fish, and people come to see them. They come here from all over the world to see them.’
Five of the planet’s seven turtle species can be found in Kenya. The endangered green turtle is one of the species on this list. Hawksbill and olive ridleys also lay their eggs along the Kenyan coast, while leatherback and loggerhead turtles migrate through the waters.
Green turtles are endangered because of egg overharvesting, hunting, being caught in fishing gear and loss of nesting beach sites. These reptiles get their name from the greenish colour of their cartilage and fat rather than their shells. They are one of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivore among the planet’s different species.
‘In the Eastern Pacific, a group of green turtles that have darker shells are called black turtles by the local community. Green turtles are found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. Like other sea turtles, they migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches from where they hatched,’ says the WWF.
