Last night I stood witness to an amazing feat of nature that has been taking place on earth since before the dinosaurs roamed and roared:
Sea turtle hatchlings crawled from the beach to the ocean where they swam into a life that could last between 80 and 120 years.
Out of every 1,000 hatchling, only one will reach adulthood.
They can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and measure a span of 8 feet, but they are endangered.
I learned these facts in a class for before the hatchling release by the dedicated staff of the Oceanic Department of Nova Southeastern University. The hatchlings that were released were straglers found in almost empty turtle nests. The staff rescued them to tip the odds in their favor, which is only fitting considering humans are responsible for their ever-dwindling numbers due to chemical and plastic pollution, poaching, beach development, and irresponsible boating.
I don’t have pictures of the best part.
Although we were allowed to take a few pictures in class, when we went to the beach, we could not take any, because the light would confuse the turtles who use moonlight to guide them to the ocean.
The staff released a couple buckets of turtles just a few feet away from the shoreline. They pointed red flashlights, so we could see the turtles make their journey. Some started wiggling towards the ocean right away. Others took some time to figure out what to do. One started going parallel to the shore, and another did nothing.
Over the next half an hour, we cheered them on. Excited children named the slow pokes. Some turtles would work so hard, only to have a wave drop them right back at their starting point. A few were flipped over by waves and struggled to right themselves. It took about 20 minutes for the parallel one to find the right way to his life. At times, he seemed to give up, but when a wave washed over him a bit, we could see his instincts activate and he scooted his arms and legs as fast as he could.
And then came the drama.
A couple was taking a moonlight stroll on the beach. The staff asked them to walk around our group. Instead the man marched right through the sea turtles, yelling that he could see the way and wouldn’t step on them.
Of course, because he hadn’t taken the time to observe, he couldn’t have know that the flashligths didn’t illumnitate every single hatchling. He didn’t know that the waves frequently brought them back to the beach.
Fortunately, none of the turtles were harmed by his recklessness.
The staff confirmed that his is a common attitude. People constantly deride her for blocking off nests on the beach. Disappointed, our teacher remarked, “People don’t understand that this is a turtle beach, not a tourist beach.”
It’s amazing to me that someone would not be inconvenienced by walking a mere five feet to the left to avoid trampling an endangered species. It’s a perfect example of why we have endangered species.
Not all of our turtles made it. There was one who just didn’t have the strength, despite the coaxing from the staff. It is unlikely that any of our turtles will make it to adulthood, a sad fact I cannot accept.
As we walked back to our cars, I stopped to take in the moment.
A quiet beach in a dark night. Our children are, who normally sleep at 7, marveled at the stars. As we passed through the trees at the edge of the beach, they were humming with insect life. Quite a racket, in fact.
This is the way it has always been, I thought to myself. The silent beach, the noisy trees, the sea turtles hatching and crawling out of a nest seven feet underground and using the bright light of the moon to guide them to the sea.
So much is endangered in our world.
Not just the animals, but the wilderness, peaceful spots to sit, even the desire to just be quiet and observant is in short supply.
The hatchlings swam off to a life that could take them all the way to the year 2133, as I nestled my own babies into safety seats for a long drive home.
Little lives need so much protection.
The very least we can do is walk five feet to the left.
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