Critically endangered Hawksbill turtle nests at Minitas Beach!

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In the early hours of Sunday morning the 5th of August 2012, I was lucky enough to witness one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my life – a Hawksbill turtle nesting right here in Casa de Campo on Minitas Beach! The huge turtle, which through extensive googling we have managed to identify (with some certainty) as a Hawksbill, a critically endangered sea turtle species, was spotted dragging herself up the beach by a Costasur security guard, who alerted the staff at the Beach Club by Le Cirque. The staff at the Beach Club by Le Cirque, understanding how rare and beautiful this occurrence is, decided (after some debating because it was rather late) to call us and so we went immediately to take a look and take photos (of course!) When we got to the beach, the entire team of the Beach Club by Le Cirque (who were all very excited) led us across the beach to the “La Palapa”  kids play area, where, to our amazement the turtle was nesting right next to / practically underneath one of the kids toys.

Hawksbill turtle: nesting on Minitas Beach

By the time we arrived, she had already been on the beach for over 2 hours and was obviously covering up the eggs with sand, using her flippers to push sand over the eggs. And after a little more than 5 minutes she started to drag herself away, leaving behind approximately 140 eggs without a second glance – and disappeared into the ocean.

Hawksbill turtle: heading back into the ocean at Minitas Beach

The gestation period for Hawksbill turtle eggs is about 2 months, so we expect the eggs to hatch at the end of September or the beginning of October, when many (although sadly not all) the turtles will hatch from the eggs, burrow themselves out of the sand and make their way to the ocean – on their own. The mother Hawksbill turtle does not return for the baby turtles and hatching at night the babies find their way to the ocean using the light of the moon reflecting off of the water. Although we are not turtle or marine life experts in any way, we estimate that this Hawksbill turtle was between 2ft and 3ft long and was between 30 to 50 years old. (This species reach maturity at 30 and typically live until 50 years old – so she must have been between 30 and 50 years old.)

What is being done to protect the eggs? The nesting site, which is literally inside the children’s play area on Minitas Beach is currently sectioned off with some yellow tape to prevent the eggs being stepped on, however Casa de Campo is currently working on creating a wooden fence and sign to ensure that the eggs are very well protected. In addition, we have also contacting Rita Sellares, Director of FUNDEMAR, a marine research foundation based in Bayahibe for her advice on how best to care for the eggs.

Hawksbill turtle nesting site on Minitas Beach, Casa de Campo

A yearly occurrence…. As you may already know, sea turtles (of all species) are creatures of habit and typically return to the same beach year after year to lay their eggs, and although the sea turtle of Minitas Beach is not always spotted, it is known that she comes every year. It is also possible that more than one turtle chooses to nest on Minitas Beach – according to Casa de Campo there is another nest located in the area of the private cabañas, although this could be a nest of the same turtle, as they lay eggs about 4 times per nesting season (July – October). The rescue of 6 baby turtles Last year (2011) on September the 16th, the staff of the Beach Club by Le Cirque rescued 6 baby turtles who must have hatched in the night and then become trapped in a rock pool on their way to the ocean. Click here to read more about the baby Hawksbill turtles. 

Hawksbill turtles • Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered and are found in the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. • The shells of Hawksbill turtles are the primary source of “tortoise shell” used for decorative purposes. • Hawksbill turtles are most easily identifiable for their “beak-like” mouth (hence the name) and their shell which is serrated/jagged at the back – see photo below. • The natural habitat of Hawksbill turtles is shallow coastal waters and coral reefs where they feed of off marine sponges. •  MAIN nesting beaches in the Caribbean for Hawksbill turtles are found in Puerto Rico, Antigua, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Costa Rica and the Yucatan in Mexico. Although Hawksbill turtles are seen in the Dominican Republic, a sighting here is very rare.

• Nesting occurs between July and October.

• The nesting behavior of Hawksbill turtles, generally follows this pattern; emergence from the sea, site selection, site clearing and pit construction, egg chamber construction, egg laying, filling in the egg chamber, disguising the nest site, and returning to sea. The entire process takes about 1 to 3 hours. • Hawksbills nest on average 4.5 times a season and at intervals of about 14 days. • In Florida and the US Caribbean, clutch size is about 140 eggs. • The killing of Hawksbill turtles and poaching of their eggs is illegal in the Dominican Republic. Sources:  • www.turtles.org • www.wikipedia.org 

THANK YOU! A BIG thank you to all the fantastic staff of the Beach Club by Le Cirque for being brave enough to call us in the middle of the night! You did the right thing – we were thrilled to be able to see (and photograph) the turtle nesting with our own eyes!

Team “protect our turtles” at the Beach Club by Le Cirque

Marine life in the Casa de Campo / La Romana – Bayahibe area The coastal waters surrounding Casa de Campo and the amazing Parque Nacional del Este (National Park of the East) are home to not only sea turtles, but some other wonderful marine life too! Click on the links below to find out more…. • Marine Manatees  A baby manatee was recently spotted near to Dominicus Beach. Click here for photos and the full story! • Nurse Sharks Harmless nurse sharks have been spotted at local natural swimming pool, Palmilla and at other beaches in the La Romana – Bayahibe area. But don’t panic they are not a threat to humans. Click here for photos and the full story! • Dolphins  There are 5 pods of bottlenose dolphins living in the waters off of Bayahibe – with one pod who lives between the Chavón river and Saona island. Click here for photos and the full story!