Baby Turtle Release in Bacocho
A VISIT TO PUERTO ESCONDIDO SHOULD INCLUDE THE baby turtle release at the end of Bacocho beach. Take the road that goes past the Coco beach club and continue until the parking lot at the end. The Vive-Mar hatchery opens at 5 pm. The turtle release is free but donations are appreciated.
The Olive Ridley, (Golfina) is the most common turtle on the Pacific coast. They live in the deep sea, safe from predators, where it takes them around 15 years to mature. Then they return to the coast where they hatched. The males stay in the water to fertilize the females. One female can be impregnated by as many as eight males which assures genetic diversity.
The turtle digs deep holes in the sand on moon-lit nights to guard its nests. Each nest can contain as many as 100 eggs. But the eggs are not protected from poachers because the turtle doesn’t hide her tracks.
Sea turtles are a protected species in Mexico, but their eggs (called limones blancos – white lemons) are part of the local cuisine. They are also reputed to be nature’s Viagra. It’s the job of Viva-Mar volunteers to find the nests before the poachers do and bring them to the hatcheries.
It takes around 12 weeks for the eggs to hatch. Whether a turtle is male or female depends on the temperature off the sand. If the nest receives a lot of heat, the turtles will all be female. If the nest is in the shade, the hatchlings will all be male. The hatcheries have areas of sun and shade.
The Olive Ridleys usually return to the beach where they hatched, but not to the exact spot. This year, for the first time in recorded history, an Olive Ridley was observed laying her eggs on a beach 30 miles south of Los Angeles, California. This September event was attributed to the warming of the ocean brought on by El Niño.
Vive-Mar is a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles. It has hatcheries in Agua Dulce, Palmarito, Punta Colorada, and Bacocho (which is the largest), and it patrols 27 kilometers of beaches in and around Puerto Escondido.
vivemar.com.mx
vivemar.sc@gmail.com
+52 954 114 5568
