Turtle Release 2017

It's time to let our babies go! Last year during turtle nesting season we collected eggs from the beaches of the reserve, scooping them up before poachers could get to them. We re-buried the eggs in front of the lodge and protected them with fencing and mesh. When they hatched, we built a special "turtle pool" so they'd have a safe place to grow and harden their shells.

Well, now that their shells are nice and hard, it's time for them to begin life in the wild! There's something bittersweet about releasing little beings that you've been caring for over the past eight months, but the wild is where they belong. These turtles help keep the ecological balance of lagoons by eating the floating vegetation that would otherwise take over and choke the lagoon. We took them in batches during our visitor excursions so that everyone had a chance to be part of the release. 

Good luck little turtles! 

You can read more about our River Turtle Rescue project here.