Hawksbill turtle nest hatches on Cayman Brac
(CNS): As the last of the turtle nests on Cayman Brac hatched this weekend, volunteers with Turtle Watch revealed on their Facebook page that the nest contained Hawksbills — particularly good news after the recent unfortunate drowning of a juvenile Hawksbill in the North Sound. Cayman Brac is the only place where hawksbills have nested this season in the Cayman Islands and in this nest more than 60 babies emerged. After hatching during the day, the little turtles were helped into the sea yesterday evening after dark.
Category: Marine Environment, Science & Nature
Shame DOE don’t throw money at saving and protecting these wonderful creatures, and many more of Cayman’s wonders, than they do killing green iguanas. After all, poachers account for far more damage to our wildlife populations and environment than iguanas.
Rumour on the Brac is the enforcement officer is no longer in post. So that’s the end of good stories like this one. As in GCM the environment will be destroyed because there’s no one to protect it.
A very nice story!
I see a number of hawksbills while scuba diving in the Caymans. If they don’t nest there, where do they nest?
Cuba. And other Caribbean countries. Most turtles nest/hatch in one country, juveniles feed in another, adults in a third, then return to nest on their beach completing the cycle. So Hawksbill nests in Cuba, juvenile hangs out on Cayman reefs for a few years then moves somewhere else (possibly the big shallow banks like Mysterioso, etc.) then back to Cuba to nest.