During the afternoon of Friday, June 28, the first release of sea turtles on the beaches of this port took place, which caught the attention of passers-by on the international boardwalk of Progreso.
In the event, held between the Corazones Unidos turtle camp and the Cetmar 17 school, they released 60 baby turtles at 114th Street.
The arrival of those in charge of the turtle camps caught the attention of the walkers in that area at the time of the liberation, who became curious and came to see the activity.
The people in charge of the liberation gave instructions to those present. Among others, they should avoid touching the animals and not help them even if they could not find their way to the sea. Taking photographs with flash was also not allowed, among other recommendations.
As will be remembered, the leader of the Cetmar 17 turtle camp, teacher Carlos León, indicated that along the coast of Progreso, from Chuburná to Uaymitún, his camp is in charge of carrying out surveillance tasks in the areas of nesting of the different species of turtle that usually arrive at this port.
He also said that during the last season, they managed to release 23,600 baby turtles, in addition, they were able to care for those that come out of the sea injured or are injured on the beaches by dog attacks, which are taken to the camp to be treated, which also represents an expense for the camp for the medicine and treatments they apply to the chelonians, in addition to the food they consume during the time they remain in the shelter.
Due to the above, he said that they also require support from the community to be able to carry out their mission.
Until May, the first nests had already occurred, three of them were already under protection in the camp, while another eight were in situ, that is, they are in nature, where it is preferable to leave them, as long as they are not in the risk area.
From what was said at the time, the nests that were already identified are of the hawksbill variety, whose incubation time is 55 to 60 days, so the released litter would be these same ones.
León also highlighted that the strongest season in terms of turtle nesting is during June and July, which is when the peak of sightings occurs and consequently the number of nests found in various beach areas increases.
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