Hunting Island nesting numbers climbing after Hurricane Matthew, locals fiercely dedicated to protecting them
Halfway through their nesting season, loggerheads on Hunting Island have made a significant rebound after Hurricane Matthew and helped bring the community together. Locals have spent over 30 years developing techniques to protect the turtles that include the best forms of nest protection and protection from predators, and now that nesting numbers are climbing after the hurricane, those efforts are truly paying off. It’s possible that a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) has nested in the area for the first known time, and locals are looking forward to applying their protection to this species as well.
If you live around Cheddar in the UK, there’s a tortoise on the loose that needs rescuing! Details in the Miscellany section.
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
Thailand: Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) trapped in fishing net freed by Phuket lifeguards
USA: Sea turtle nesting peaks along North Carolina coast
Crime & Punishment
Australia: 17 of 30 Krefft’s river turtles (Emydura macquarii krefftii) found dead in abandoned net
Health & Medical
USA: hatchling Centrochelys sulcata fitted for 3D printed legs
USA: family comes together to help save a diamondback terrapin on Long Beach Island (Malaclemys terrapin)
Miscellany
UK: Stray pet tortoise ‘on the run’ for a third time
Did You Know…
While green sea turtles range all the way to Canada, they nest on the Atlantic coast and are rarely seen doing so north of Florida. If sightings further north continue to increase, this could indicate a significant shift in their nesting behavior.
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Photo from Kelley Luikey Special to The Island Packet/ The Beaufort Gazette.
