This Sunday a user found the sea turtle nest (Caretta caretta) in the Can Pastilla Beachin Palma. The notice was given early this Sunday when a total of 109 eggsof which 18 sea turtles were born.
Following the notice, the staff of the Consortium for the Recovery of Fauna of the Balearic Islands (Cofib), which depends on the General Directorate of Natural Environment and Forest Management, went to the site to confirm the facts, detect the exact point where the nest was located and activate the protocol established for these cases. There was also the collaboration of the Palma City Council, the Palma Aquarium Foundation, the Local Police and the Rescue Service.
In this way, the newborns and the eggs They went to the Cofib premises to assess their state of health. and later, they will be transferred to the Irfap-Limia facilities, in the port of Andratx, where the Cofib marine fauna service will take charge of their care and monitoring.
As the head of COFIB explains, Michel PuigEverything indicates that this nest which was located this Sunday was laid during the second half of July. He also recalled that this sea turtle nest found in Can Pastilla is the first recorded during this season in the Balearic Islands.
The government demands the maximum collaboration of the entire population to preserve the nests. Well, it is the peak season for this species and the months of September and October are time of hatching of nests and birth of youngIf you detect new nests and hatchlings of sea turtles, you must immediately inform 112 and not touch the animals under any circumstances.
It is worth mentioning that these turtles will be part of the Head Starting program, in accordance with the national strategy for the species and in collaboration with other communities. The aforementioned strategy consists of a breeding program in a controlled artificial environment lasting between ten and 12 months. Thanks to this program, the chances of survival of these animals once released into the sea are increased exponentially. These specimens of sea turtles will be released into the sea once the program period ends.
It should be remembered that the Caretta caretta sea turtle is a species classified as vulnerable in the Spanish catalogue of endangered species, which usually breeds in the eastern Mediterranean and which only began to nest in the western Mediterranean at the beginning of the 21st century, probably due to the increase in sea temperature.
