Dec. 28, 2014 - Costa Rica - Baby Sea Turtles
Read MoreDuring the time our photography group was staying at Hacienda Baru in Costa Rica, we took a hike on a path that led us to the ocean. We passed the Biological Research Station, part of the Hacienda Baru National Wildlife Refuge. Our guide, Geoff, said we should walk through the Research Station because they have an interesting program involving sea turtles.
This is where the Research Station raises Olive Ridley sea turtles. The Research Station staff monitors the 3-mile long Hacienda Baru Beach, where sea turtles dig their nests in the sand. The female turtles lay their eggs, cover them up, and then just leave. The eggs are very vulnerable to animal and human predators. If unprotected, many of the nests will be raided and the eggs will never have a chance to hatch. When staff members find a turtle nest, they dig up the eggs and re-bury them in this protected area. The entire area is covered with 3 to 4 feet of sand which mimics the original nest site. Each of the blue tarps in this photo covers the eggs from one turtle nest.
In the wild, the baby turtles would have to claw their way up through the sand all by themselves. The Research Station helps them by monitoring the nests, digging the babies out, and making sure they get to the sea without being eaten by predators (such as Coatis, Vultures, Raccoons, and crabs).
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Here’s a bonus video. At Hacienda Baru we went on their zip line course. One of the photographers brought his camera along and took videos of each of us as we went on the zip lines. (Thanks, Franco!) The first part of this video shows me getting hooked up and departing on my first ever zip line ride. The second part was taken by Franco as he went through the forest canopy on one of his zip line rides. The third part shows me arriving from one of my other zip line rides (I think there were eight zip lines in all).
Sue Cooney
on January 5, 2015Thank you!!
Jack Ewing
on December 28, 2014Wonderful photos and videos. I enjoyed watching them. The turtles were very educational.
Patti V
on December 28, 2014Thanks - that was amazing to watch.