The sea turtles are now arriving to nest on the beaches at Royal Resorts. The first of our summer visitors came ashore at The Royal Mayan® on May 14 – earlier than usual – and laid 107 eggs. The latest report dated June 18 reveals that there are already 36 nests at the resorts and 4,141 eggs.
As we reported in previous issues of our e-newsletter and on the Royal Resorts blog www.royalresortsnews.com 2011 was a record-breaking year for turtle protection at The Royal Sands, The Royal Mayan, The Royal Caribbean® and The Royal Islander® with a tally of 581 nests and 61,499 baby turtles released. Record keeping began in 1998 and since then Royal Resorts has protected 4,797 turtle nests and released 367,377 hatchlings. We hope that 2012 will be equally successful.
If you are due to visit Royal Resorts during the summer, join us in protecting these beautiful creatures. Follow these guidelines when you see a nesting turtle on the beach or participate in the turtle releases later in the season:
• Alert the security staff
• Be very quiet and keep still
• Watch from a distance (five meters) and do not attempt to touch the turtle or crowd her
• Do not shine a torch in her direction or use your flash when taking pictures
• If you bring your children to help release the hatchlings, make sure that they follow instructions
• Baby turtles are not playthings; they are fragile and must be handled with great care
• No flash photography
• No smoking
• Keep our beaches and sea clean. Plastic bags, beer packaging, fishing lines and other garbage floating in the water is lethal to turtles and other marine life.
If a female turtle is frightened by loud noises, crowds of people and bright lights while digging in the sand, she will leave the beach without nesting and lay her eggs in the water, thus losing the entire clutch of eggs. Just imagine, over 100 fewer turtles being born every time someone breaks the Turtle Rules!
Under Mexican law it is illegal to persecute and hunt sea turtles or steal their eggs. The consumption of eggs or meat and the purchase of products or creams made from tortoiseshell are also prohibited.
Stay posted for more turtle nesting news during the summer on www.royalresortsnews.com and of course we will let you know when the first babies of the year hatch.
