Nearly 100
endangered sea turtles have hatched on a Brazilian beach left deserted due to
people staying in and self-isolating.
The
shoreline in Paulista, a town in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil,
is usually packed with beachgoers who are able to witness the incredible moment
the baby turtles crack their way out of their eggs.
This year
it was a very different scene however, as state governor Paulo Câmara ordered a
partial shutdown in the area last week, urging residents to stay indoors and
restricting them from gathering on beaches.
On March 22, 97 hawksbill sea turtles broke free from their shells and took their first cautious steps towards the Atlantic ocean, with almost no one around to witness the scene.
The only
people there were government workers, who managed to snap pictures of the baby
turtles as they made their way down the beach.
A statement
from City Hall of Paulista says the hatching of the eggs and the first contact
of the animals with the water was only possible thanks to monitoring work
carried out by technicians of the Urban Sustainability Center.
Hawksbill
sea turtles are considered a critically endangered species by the WWF. Brazil’s
Tamar conservation project contributes to the restoration of the species, as
well as the restorations of the olive ridley sea turtle, the loggerhead sea
turtle and the leatherback sea turtle.
Hawksbills
can grow up to 110cm and can weigh 85kg (187lbs). They are said to be strongly
associated with coral reef areas, and often suffer as a result of human
actions, as they can be caught accidentally in ghost nets or gillnets left for
hours to catch fish.
After
hatching, the turtles are at risk of being snatched by birds or crushed by
beachgoers, though the latter of those threats was minimised thanks to the
recent restrictions.
Speaking
about the exciting sighting, Herbert Andrade, Environmental Manager at
Paulista, said:
In all, 291 sea turtles were born on the coast of Paulista in 2020, with 87 green turtles and 204 hawksbill turtles. This time, due to preventive measures against the new coronavirus, the population was unable to closely monitor the birth.
Today's #OneSmileEachDay comes in the form of 97 tiny hawksbill sea turtles, which hatched last Sunday in Paulista, Brasil.— WWF Cymru 🌏 (@WWFCymru) April 1, 2020
These critically endangered turtles help to protect coral reefs, which are crucial for the survival of many other creatures. pic.twitter.com/hmLItBdKCc
The four
species of turtle protected by the Tamar conservation project can all be found
along Brazil’s coastline.
Paulista’s
environmental secretary, Roberto Couto, said the animals normally lay their
eggs from January each year before the hatchlings emerge in April or May, The
Guardian reports.
He
commented:
It’s really beautiful because you can see the exact instant they come out of the eggs and… watch their little march across the beach. It’s marvellous. It’s a wonderful, extraordinary feeling.
This time, because of coronavirus, we couldn’t even tell people it was happening.
According to the WWF, sea turtles are the ‘living representatives of a group of reptiles that has existed on Earth and travelled our seas for the last 100 million years.’
The animals
are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral
reefs and sea grass beds.