WalkerPad

Before we left for Los Cabos, I was wandering around online checking to see if I needed an adapter for my hairdryer, when I found an interesting blog from a marine biologist down in Los Cabos, Mexico. It seems that they were releasing endangered baby sea turtles that were raised in captivity into the ocean. The Mexican government has a program that breeds, hatches, and releases sea turtles at a site on the property of the El Presidente Resort (wouldn’t you know it, the exact resort we were visiting), and it was hatching and releasing season (the very same week we were staying there!).  

When we arrived at the hotel, I asked at the front desk, and they gave us a non-commital answer about some vague turtles. However, they caught us later and told us that, in fact, they were hatching eggs that week, and that they were digging up some turtle eggs the next morning at 7 a.m. and we could go and watch them release them! We (that would be me) roused the sleepy troops and and we hiked out across the beach at dawn and watched the marine biologist dig up newborn sea turtles (about 78 from one dig site, and 34 from another). Only one turtle had managed to make it out of the sand and was trying to make it to the water on its own. There were over 100 eggs that hadn’t developed and several turtles that died in their shells.

After the dig, we carried the little turtles to the shoreline where we got to hold them, name them (mine was Lance Armnstrong, Kaily’s was Crush, Griffon didn’t name his), give them good wishes, and set them free to waddle themselves into the waves. Several other people joined us for the release, but it was just the three of us, the marine biologist and the security guard (turtles are protected by the government in Mexico) for the dig. I have to say, it was the highlight of my vacation. Kaily had to go and say good-bye to her turtle before we left. It was very sweet. The biologist said that only one in every million eggs laid in the wild makes it to the sea. We really upped those odds! I love my hairdryer.

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