First green turtle nest spotted early

| 29/05/2020 | 15 Comments
  • Cayman News Service
  • Cayman News Service

(CNS): Department of Environment researchers have documented the first wild green turtle nest of the 2020 nesting season. The nest was spotted on Grand Cayman on 26 May, which is unusually early, as over the past 21 years of sea turtle monitoring only two other green turtle nests were found this early in the year. Typically, green turtle nesting season begins in mid to late June and peaks in August.

The nest was identified as a green sea turtle by the tracks left by the mother turtle but this will be confirmed when the nest is evaluated after hatching.

In other turtle news, an adult female loggerhead and a juvenile green turtle were rescued on Grand Cayman beaches this week with the help of the public.

On Wednesday, 27 May, the Roulstone family discovered the juvenile green turtle on Seven Mile Beach. Waves had washed the turtle over a ledge of beach rock, where it became trapped in shallow water near shore. After consulting with the DoE, the family moved the turtle over the rock ledge, allowing it to return safely to the open sea.

And last Friday a beachfront resident and DoE Deputy Director Timothy Austin found the loggerhead turtle during the nesting monitoring. The adult female, which was at least 300lbs, was trapped in a rock pool that she had entered while returning to the sea after nesting. She was also released healthy and unharmed into the sea.

All sea turtles in the Cayman Islands are protected under the National Conservation Law. Anyone who sees an injured or dead turtle is asked to contact the DoE before handling or transporting it:

DoE Chief Conservation Officer Mark Orr: 916-4271

DoE Turtle Hotline: 938-NEST (938-6378)


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Category: Marine Environment, Science & Nature

Comments (15)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Does anyone know where this turtle was released? It would be nice to know because I don’t want to spend all day tracking it down and my family is hungry.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Did they get quarantined?

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Stop eating endangered animals. That’s how we got into this lockdown in the first place.

    But isn’t it a nice idea to think that maybe we could start curfews when it’s turtle nesting season or crab season so that we can start to regain some of the species? I would much rather lock myself down for the environment rather than our species trying to exist longer just to destroy the earth.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Too all the animal eaters.
    Animals are friends not food.
    Prepared to deal the consequences of eating animal fats and proteins in your body.
    Hence why Cayman is now dealing with a health crisis other than covid.

    Humans are plant eaters.

    In the age of information, ignorance is a choice.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Humans are not just plant eaters, otherwise know as herbivores, we are actually omnivores.

      That being said, I don’t agree with a full on meat diet I think you need to have plenty of fruits and vegetables. Meat wasn’t always on the plate when we were growing our species. It’s about moderation.

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    • Anonymous says:

      9:13 are you a troll? We are omnivores and have omnivore dentition. The reason homo sapiens developed such large brains was from eating meat and fat. Without our ancestors doing this we wouldn’t have the intelligence we have today. FACT. Yes Covid19 likely came from a wet market in China but it was likely linked to wild animals not the domestic ones people normally eat. Vegetarianism and veganism is your choice. Don’t shove it down our throats. You can still care for and love animals and eat meat. I don’t eat wild animals and I try to source my meat from a humane source. People should reduce their meat intake and limit the amount of beef they eat but they don’t need to cut it our entirely. Stop fear mongering and winding everyone up.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You’re chatting pure bull crap. Eat what you want and leave others to do what they want. I don’t recall asking for your opinion?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Think you will find the obesity and Type 2 diabetes common in Cayman has more to do with over consumption – especially of refined sugars and carbohydrates – than meat or fish consumption per se. Difference between a grilled chicken breast and KFC. Or for that matter, try eating potatoes and bread and see where that gets you.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    “My people”

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  6. Anonymous says:

    I like the turtle burgers.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Turtle soup soon come.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Good news, Alden’s people are starving.

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