Olive Ridley hatchling

At less than a couple of hours old, meet this little Olive Ridley Turtle hatchling. Born 45cm underground and in a nest with roughly 100 other eggs, this fellow has fought his way up through the hot sand to get his first glimpse of the outside world.

Unfortunately these turtles are endangered, due to poachers eating or selling the eggs, and it was our job at the Conservation Camp to work to combat this problem. We went out regularly on nighttime quad-bike patrols to collect the vulnerable eggs from the freshly laid nests before the poachers had the chance. The following morning we then reburied the eggs safely back at camp in our hatchery, and patiently waited roughly 6 weeks for each nest to hatch. It is very important that the hatchlings are then released back at the top of the shoreline, rather than in the water itself, as they need to imprint on the sand at that particular section of beach in order to return to the exact same location when it is their turn to return to lay their very own eggs.

This little hatchling has nearly made it to the waters edge, where sadly we can no longer offer any help or support - good luck!

Mexican Skies
Lake Chapala, Mexico, Panorama