Conservationist Jeff Kutz of PRETOMA reports good news from Costa Rica.
Corozalito Beach, Costa Rica.
Below is a report I received by email from researchers funded by the RIESTER Foundation to study the nesting habits of sea turtles at Corazalito in Costa Rica. Corazalito is a rare nesting site where thousands of sea turtles lay their eggs. For the past several years, the location was attacked daily by poachers who would steal the eggs and sell them. RIESTER Foundation funding has provided security to protect the beach from poachers, and dedicated researchers from universities around the world to document activity at the site and tag the visiting turtles.
Subject: Good news from Corazalito!
Great news! Last Sunday night (the 20th) we observed and tagged a rare Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting at our project in Corozalito, which has been extended until January 31st. She was the only turtle on the beach this night, and our team followed her meter wide track to discover where she was preparing her egg chamber (over 60cm deep!).
After depositing 87 eggs, researchers applied tag numbers NX786 and NX787 to the fore-flippers of this previously unobserved female for future identification. This specific green sea turtle had a carapace (upper shell) 86.2cm long [2.8ft] and 76.5cm wide [2.5ft], and its relocated nest represents another piece of hope for the future of green turtles in Costa Rica. We hope to see her return again this year!
Saludos,
Jeff Kutz
Co-Director and Technical Coordinator of Nesting Beaches
PRETOMA
Olive ridley turtles in the waters off of Corozalito Beach.
