Hundreds of baby turtles race to the sea

Mexico has some amazing cities and areas. Along the Pacific Coast are two towns that mainly have become known as one, Ixtapa Zihuantanejo. Situated in the state of Guerrero, Ixtapa Zihuantanejo are two separate towns approximately 150 miles north of Acapulco. Having beautiful beaches, Zihuantanejo is sheltered within a very protected bay which is very popular with many private boat owner during the months. Ixtapa Zihuantanejo is the fourth largest city in the state of Guerrero and is very popular with tourists from within Mexico as well as the United States and Canada. Recently, December 2019, Brent and his wife enjoyed two weeks vacation in Zihua, as it is known to the locals. Relaxing for most of their vacation, Brent and Elsa wanted to enjoy something different. While doing some research, they learned of a private turtle release project that was not a far distance from Zihua.

The turtle camp is at Petatillo beach in the municipality of Union in the Guerrero state. The person in charge of the camp is Mr. Felix and his wife Doña Chucha. Mr. Felix and his wife have lived at the location of the turtle camp for over 16 years, and have never had any financial support from the Mexican government. It has only been in the last 2 years, that tours have begun coming to visit Mr. Felix and Doña to see the amazing work they are doing to grow the numbers of the Golfina turtles in this area. After contacting Eco Ixzi Travel in Zihua, the excursion was booked and planned. Julio López was the tour guide for the day and he showed an incredible amount of passion for what Mr. Felix has been doing for the past 16 years. Julio is also very knowledgable of the whole Guerrero state as well as other surrounding states and cities. His knowledge of the turtle populations and how the efforts of Mr. Felix has drastically helped increase the numbers of the Golfina, as well as 3 other species of turtles native to the area. Once arriving at the turtle camp location, the small group of excited tourists, were guided to a covered section with small table and chair at which time Julio began explaining the efforts of Mr. Felix. As mentioned, he and his wife have been living a very simple life, on the beach, caring and tending to many turtle nests which are all within a protected fenced in area.

Each evening around 1am, Mr. Felix ventures out on his atv, which use to be a horse until it passed away one year ago, looking for fresh turtle nests where mother turtles had buried eggs. Searching approximately 3 miles each direction from the camp, Mr.Felix then excavates the fresh nests, gathering all the eggs, to bring back to his well protected site. Keeping all the date for each nest, Mr. Felix records the date, number of eggs, and the nest location on a small peg which he places at each new location within his pens. The miracle of these little turtles hatching takes 45 days. At that time, each tourist visiting, or couple, is allowed to assist these little creatures from within their sand covered beds. After placing a latex glove one ones hand, they can then proceed to gently remove sand around the perimeter of the nest, being very gentle with each stroke. Removing handful by handful the turtle babies start to come into view bring some emotion to the group. Slowly and steadily Brent and Elsa removed every last baby from within the nest, placing them into plastic shallow tubs in which damp sand had been placed on the inside bottom. The sand keeps the babies calm, as it takes approximately 30 minutes for their instincts to kick in, bringing them the awareness of where they have hatched, and to where they will return in 10 years to once again lay eggs themselves. Of course not all theses amazing babies will return to lay eggs as some are male. The sex of the hatchlings is determined not by fertilization, but by the temperature of the nest. Once the babies begin to move about in the plastic bins, Mr. Felix and Julio jointly decided when it was time for Brent, Elsa and their small group to release the babies into the sea. Calling it “a turtle race”, Julio mentioned everyone would release their turtles at the same time, to see just how different some are from others. “ Uno, dos, tres” said Julio and all the babies were gently poured out onto the sand. Some sped towards the water as though they had done this before. Some wandered in circles, and some needed a little helping hand getting in the right direction.

Approximately 10 percent of the hatched baby turtles will return to this exact location. There are many predators out in the open ocean. Birds are one large factor to the babies survival, which is why these turtles are released near sunset as the birds have mostly gone to their nests for the evening. Large fish are also another predator that limits the life expectancy of these little guys. Hopefully returning in 10 years, these Golfina or Olive Ridley turtles will grow to a length of around two feet long and weighing nearly 100 pounds. This amazing excursion for those who love wildlife, is a definite trip to do while in the area of Ixtapa Zihuantanejo. Contact Julio at Eco Ixzi Travel for a memorable day that you will not forget.