Fauna & Flora International have shared some awful news with us this week.
Turtles are among the most ancient living things on the planet – gliding gracefully through the oceans since back before flowering plants existed. To lay eggs, these gentle giants haul their huge bodies up the beach – it’s an exhausting procedure, but vital for the survival of their species.
And for many years Fauna & Flora International have been counting and monitoring their nests at Chacocente (a favoured beach in Nicaragua), safeguarding their eggs from poachers and releasing hatchlings into the ocean.
But this year the count couldn’t have been worse, because there was not a single nest on the beach.
It’s dreadful news, with alarming implications. With zero turtle mothers nesting on the beach, it fuels the fears that even fewer than ever are surviving to parenthood.
These creatures have survived the very worst disasters ever to be thrown at planet earth – including the event that wiped out the dinosaurs. Let’s hope we still have time to help them survive humanity.
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