Sea Turtles Get the Chance they Deserve at Sunset World
Cancún, Quintana Roo (PRWEB) July 26, 2015 -- Sunset World Resorts & Vacation Experiences hopes to liberate more than 11 thousand baby hawksbill, green and loggerhead sea turtles that come to nest in the beaches of our resorts located in Cancun and Riviera Maya.
Arturo Sánchez, Entertainment Director at Sunset World Resorts & Vacation Experiences and a member of the group of volunteers that year after year protect the turtle nests, stated that so far they have registered 26 nests with an average 2,500 eggs at Sunset Royal, located in the Cancun hotel zone. He explained that the birth rate of each nest depends on variables such as ambiance temperature. The turtles that hatch will be liberated between the months of September and October.
The marine turtle nesting period lasts between the months of May and September thus it is expected that the number of nests will increase in the next few weeks because this is a good year. Out of eight sea turtle species that exists in the planet, seven come to nest in the coasts of Mexico; Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
“No other country in the world is as fortunate. Four of these species come to the coast of the north of Quintana Roo: Green, loggerhead, hawksbill and leatherback,” said Arturo Sánchez, and he added “The beaches in Cancun are very dynamic, there’s lots of hustle and bustle, the noise and lights of the hotels affect nesting, thus in 1994 the Sea Turtle Protection Program was created.” In the 2009-2010 season, Sunset World joined the forces to rescue nests and later on to liberate turtles born in front of the hotels. In the 2009-2010 season 11,136 turtle hatchlings were liberated; 9,098 hatchlings were liberated in the 2011-2012 season and during the 2013-2014 season 2, 432 turtles were set free.
The program now includes the north of the state: Isla Mujeres, Contoy Island and Cozumel as well as Playa del Carmen and Holbox; it involves creating awareness in the hotel sector about the importance of this endangered species that is protected by federal decree, thus the purchase and consumption of eggs, hunting and fishing are penalized by up to six years in prison.
Arturo Sánchez explained that in order to carry out this important task properly, the Prevention and Entertainment staff at Sunset Royal received a theoretical-practical training where they were taught what to do when turtles come out to nest, how to move the nests and create corrals for their protection and hatching.
“The laying of eggs always takes place during the night, thus after sunset sunbeds and Balinese beds are moved away and the lamps that light up part of the beach are turned off; later on, ballots are filled with the time the turtle came out from the sea, the date, the species and the number of eggs in each nest. Afterwards the eggs are transplanted from the nests to the hatching corrals that have been prepared with all the care needed for their protection.”
He explained that the location of the nest is marked with a stick, each nest is placed at a meters distance from the next and a group of several nests is fenced with a mesh to prevent hatchlings accidentally walking off or their natural predators like seagulls or iguanas from coming in or possible pillaging by humans.
He specified that all these activities take place during the third turn, which means from 11 pm to 7 am, and that the hatchlings are liberated at night by groups of 10 people. “The attention, care and subsequent liberation of sea turtles are some of the nicest moments that are worth sharing with guests and the general population,” said Arturo Sánchez.
Finally, he explained that as part of the efforts to preserve the safety of marine life, the hotel chain aims to continue being a model of Sustainable Tourism and doing its bit to preserve ecosystems. Therefore, we extend an open invitation to create volunteer teams among collaborators, guests and locals to promote the care of beaches, oceans and the animal and plant species that inhabit them.
Public Relations Department, Sunset World Resorts & Vacation Experiences, http://www.sunsetworld.net/, +52 9982874157 Ext: 3508, [email protected]
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