Turtles are back! Yes!
Here at Royal Resorts we are proud to announce that the turtle season has officially started and our first visitor this year was a green turtle that laid 119 eggs on The Royal Caribbean beach. In about 55 days the baby turtles will hatch and we’ll be able to set them free so that they can make their way down to the waves to begin life at sea.
It’s important for us to remind you about the rules for turtle watching:
- If you spot a turtle coming out of the ocean: keep your distance. Let the turtle find the place to make its nest.
- Report sightings to security staff, they know exactly what to do.
- Keep quiet. Turtles are sensitive to noise and they could go back to the ocean without laying their eggs if they are frightened.
- Do not touch the turtles. Remember, no matter how cute they are: turtles are wild animals and although they are gentle, they are also large, and you could be hurt if the turtle feels endangered and strikes you with its flippers.
- Do not use flash. Turtles are very sensitive to light; if you take pictures with a flash you might scare them away. Wait until the turtle is laying eggs and then take the pictures.
We know turtles are one of nature’s miracles and that it’s difficult to stay quiet when witnessing such a spectacle, but if we all follow these rules, we will have turtles for many years to come
The summer of 2012 was a record-breaking turtle season at Royal Resorts. Security staff at The Royal Sands, The Royal Mayan, The Royal Caribbean and The Royal Islander watched over 647 turtle nests and with thehelp of guests released 65,703 baby turtles.
Royal Resorts has been participating in the annual Cancún sea turtle conservation campaign since 1985. Formal record keeping started in 1998 and in 14 years we have protected 5,444 nests and released 433,080 baby turtles! We hope that this summer’s number of turtle eggs and births (the fifteenth since records began) will be even more astounding.
Have you ever seen a turtle laying eggs? Share in the comments!
