Turtle hatchling update: 24 Sept 2020
Turtle hatchling update
24 Sept 2020
So far we have 3220 baby turtles from 3657 eggs, which is a great hatching success rate-- 88%! We've taken what we learned from previous years of turtle rescue to build better hatcheries, re-constructing the turtle nests to both protect the developing eggs but also be easy for the babies to climb out of when they're ready, using the best natural materials available. From studying our records, we now have a better understanding of the timing of when the babies are ready to come out, and we've been able to accurately anticipate and prepare to receive the hatchlings from each batch of eggs that we collected.
We're also thrilled to announce that, in addition to the Taricaya turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) and Cupiso turtle (Podocnemis sextuberculata), this is the first year that we have successfully fostered several Charapa turtle hatchlings (Podocnemis expansa), a vulnerable species that can grow to be more than a meter long! You can see them mixed up in the blue collection bin as well as more clearly in the photos with the baby Taricaya on the left and the larger Charapa on the right.
Our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who has donated to us during this challenging time. We see and appreciate you, and your support means more to us than we can express. If you're just finding out about us now and would still like to support us, you can do so here:
With such a high hatching success rate and so many turtles to take care of, there is *plenty* of work still to do, from collecting food and cleaning the nursery to making sure all the enclosures remain predator-proof!
Thank you and much jungle love to all!
