|
Sea turtles in Cyprus
It is a great joy to watch newly-hatched
sea turtles
scrabbling out of their sandy nest chambers on
North Cyprus
beaches and scuttling towards to the open sea. Their mothers
had swum in the warm Mediterranean sea for twenty years
before mating. And one moonlight night they came ashore to
lay their eggs. The females normally come ashore in May and
dig deep holes that are about 40 cm down, into which they
lay their eggs before carefully covering them with literally
tones of sand. Then they swim away, leaving the eggs safe
and cool in their sandy nest. And the sand around traps the
air for eggs, which is vital to their development. Female
green turtles can make several nests during a season, each
containing a lot of eggs laid two weeks apart.
Then two months later, in July, the eggshell bursts and the
tiny baby turtles come into the world. They dig their way to
the surface, emerging either in the cool of dawn or early
evening, before scuttling out into the sea.
Anyway that’s the theory. For a newly-born sea turtle first
instinct is to turn his head towards the light. For
thousands of years that was the light from the sea, glowing
gently in the moonlight, but with modern waterside
developments, they can head the wrong way with disastrous
results. In south Cyprus, modern developments sometimes
drive the baby-turtles of their nesting sites, but the
quieter bays of Northern Cyprus and the Turkish coastline
provide breeding sanctuaries for the 300 green turtles and 1
thousand loggerhead turtles that live in the
Mediterranean.
Turtles are still keeping on nesting on sandy beaches around
Girne (Kyrenia), on the Karpaz peninsula and in Famagusta
Bay. Both green and loggerhead turtles are considered to be
endangered species and are heavily protected. The Society
for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT) also works with teams
from various British universities to survey nesting sites
and release youngsters safely into the sea.
You can watch the turtles under the supervision of SPOT
Turtle HQ, based at Alagadi Turtle Beach. This is the best
way both to see and help the turtles. The research team at Alagadi beach conduct both night and dawn beach surveys to
check on hatching activity. And you have an opportunity to
join them on their night patrols.
In an effort
to protect the turtles, the Department of Environmental
Protection has taken measures that forbid access to a beach
from 10pm till 8am beginning from May to October, forbid
fires or lights on the beach and use of a speedboat within
one mile of the shoreline. The protection measures also
advise people not to throw plastic bags into the sea; the
turtles mistake them for jellyfish and die from trying to
eat them.
Take your loved ones
to an amazing getaway at Cyprus! This place is a perfect
destination both for families and couples looking for a
relaxing getaway. There are plenty of beautiful places that
you can visit when you spend your holidays here. If you want
to explore more on the famous landmarks and establishments,
you can opt to look for
car hire in Cyprus to make your travel more convenient.
If it is a beach getaway that you desire, you better go to
the beautiful beaches of North Cyprus.
It is a great joy to watch newly hatched sea turtles
scrabbling out of their sandy nest chambers on North Cyprus
beaches and scuttling towards to the open sea. Their mothers
had swum in the warm Mediterranean sea for twenty years
before mating. And one moonlight night they came ashore to
lay their eggs. The females normally come ashore in May and
dig deep holes that are about 40 cm down, into which they
lay their eggs before carefully covering them with literally
tones of sand. Then they swim away, leaving the eggs safe
and cool in their sandy nest. And the sand around traps the
air for eggs, which is vital to their development. Female
green turtles can make several nests during a season, each
containing a lot of eggs laid two weeks apart.
|
