Each year we wait expectantly for the summer season when the ocean and the land come together to celebrate one of nature’s wonders. Sea turtles emerge from the waves, returning to lay their eggs on the white sand beaches of Cancún and the Riviera Maya.
The biggest of the world’s sea turtles is known as the Leatherback turtle (Laud turtle in Spanish) and it is very rare in this area. In the past 200 years it has been hunted to the brink of extinction and it was feared for many years that this species might have disappeared forever from Cancún and the surrounding area. Fortunately, two years ago, a leatherback turtle visited Cancún and laid its eggs on one of the beaches, the first sighting in eight years. This year’s surprise has been even bigger: the first turtle of the season, which has started very early, has been this leatherback turtle that laid its eggs on the beach in front of Hotel Emporio next to The Royal Caribbean.
The turtle came out of the sea at around 5 p.m. last Saturday much to the amazement of tourists and local people on the beach. Marines and City Hall employees protected the turtle while she laid her eggs and kept the observers at a safe distance so as not to scare her. In total 84 eggs were rescued by the City Hall biologist and transferred to a corral until they hatch. The baby turtles will then be released so that they can start their life cycle in the ocean and, hopefully, someday return and lay their eggs on this very beach.
If you would like to participate as a volunteer during this turtle season and help release the baby turtles when they begin to hatch later in the summer, please refer to your resort front desk upon arrival. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this life-changing experience.
