TURTLE SEASON IN THE TROPICS

By Jax Bath

Whilst our fellow South Africans flock from the north to our white sandy beaches during the holiday season, the beaches in the tropics are also expecting visitors, of an ancient kind. December is peak turtle season in the tropics, and depending on where one is, there are 7 different species of sea turtle that can be found braving the land in order to lay their eggs. Most of these mother turtles will do so under the cover of dark, but last year at this time, I had the privilege of working on an island in the Seychelles where these reptilian creatures go against the grain by laying during the day.

On the 15th of December last year, I arrived on the main island of Mahe in the Seychelles, where I would then have to catch a plane and then a boat to Cousine Island. This tiny granitic island is a conservation haven and a very important laying site for the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle. Hawksbill Turtles where hunted down for their beautiful shells, and with so many threats to their survival at every stage of life, these turtles need all the help they can get.

This is why, every year during turtle season, Cousine as well as other islands, will bring in extra help to assist during turtle season. Turtle monitors will patrol the beach up to 8 times daily, in search of turtle tracks. When you’re looking to catch up with a laying turtle, you need to be walking the beach almost every hour to ensure that one does not miss what we call an emergence. An emergence is when the female turtle leaves the water in order to search for a place to lay. Sometimes, turtles will do this several times before actually coming up to lay their eggs.

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