Endangered baby sea turtles hatch in İztuzu

MUĞLA

Baby turtles in the world-famous İztuzu beach have begun hatching in the Aegean province of Muğla.

The Caretta caretta loggerhead turtle hatchlings crawled into the sea from the İztuzu beach, which is an important nesting area for this endangered species.

The hatchlings of Caretta carettas, which are among the creatures at risk of extinction in the world, are observed with great care, as a local rescue and rehabilitation center helps those that cannot make it to the sea.

After a day in the rehabilitation center, the young turtles are released into the sea after sunset. Those interested in seeing the procedure require prior permission from the center, said an official.

Yakup Kaska, the center’s director, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that there have been hatchlings from 20 nests so far, and the nesting is still going on.

There are 600 nests at the moment and this number will increase to 750, he estimated and added that approximately 35,000 turtles are expected to hatch by the end of the season.

The turtles that come out of the nest are about four to five centimeters long, he informed. The hatchlings that fall into the holes dug by humans on the beach cannot reach the sea, and even human footprints may change into an insurmountable pit for a youngster, he added.

Stating that the hatching starts in July and will continue until the end of September, Kaska asked the people on the coast to be careful in the areas where the Caretta caretta nests are located.