About 700 eggs of Caretta caretta turtles, a species that disappeared in Fuerteventura three centuries ago, were deposited again in four nests on Cofete beach in Pájara, within the project of reintroducing turtle breeding in Fuerteventura, developed by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura through the Department of the Environment, the Government of the Canary Islands, the ULPGC and the Higher Center for Scientific Research, in collaboration with the Government of Cape Verde.
Just about 20 hours before, the eggs had been deposited on the beaches of El Batao (Cape Verde), from where they were transferred to the Canary Islands, because it is a coastal area that is flooded by the tides, and therefore likely to be damaged. Prior to the arrival of the eggs, three turtles were released by volunteers and collaborators.
In less than 20 hours the eggs were transferred from the Island of Boa Vista, in Cape Verde, to the beach of Cofete, within the fifth annual shipment of the Reintroduction Project of this species. The 700 eggs were buried 40 centimeters deep in several nests by the team of biologists from the ULPGC, who were in charge of supervising the project, imitating the process that turtles follow in nature.
A unique project
"Now we only have to monitor the development of the nests at all times and hope that the weather conditions accompany us on this occasion, in order to repeat the hatching percentage. It is a very important project, unique in the world as it is carried out on a natural beach and in which there is a lot of scientific interest deposited. It demonstrates the quality of our beaches and our waters, which have been selected as suitable by specialists, after touring different possible locations in other places", they explained during the event. For his part, the vice president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Guillermo Concepción, explained that "there are many administrations coordinated in this project, which is a source of pride for Fuerteventura and which was even recognized last year by Her Majesty the Queen with her visit".
Francisco Martín reiterated the support of the Government of the Canary Islands to the project, and praised the coordination work between all the collaborating entities to be able to "carry out an initiative that today is a world reference, and a pride for all the Canary Islands that we can develop this project in Fuerteventura, so that it is possible to recover in the Islands an emblematic species such as the 'loggerhead' turtle, which we all hope to see back on this same coast in ten or twelve years".
A return after 300 years
The gestation period of turtle embryos can extend between 40 and 70 days, depending on the temperature and humidity conditions in which they are found. This fifth experience is, of those carried out so far, in which the eggs have been transferred most promptly, as explained by the biologists of the project, to prevent the cold from affecting the development of the eggs.
The last references to the presence of these animals nesting on the beaches of the Canary Islands date back 300 years, since there are historical documents that demonstrated their existence on the island until the 18th century. The current reintroduction project was conceived a decade ago, when a laying of eggs of a leatherback turtle was detected on the beaches of Sotavento. From that moment, under the supervision of Professor Luis Felipe López Jurado (ULPGC) and with the initiative of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura and the City Council of Pájara, work began to reintroduce the caretta caretta species.
During these ten years of previous work, the quality of the sands of the beaches, the quality of the waters, the temperatures and the forms of reproduction have been monitored. In collaboration with the ULPGC, volunteers and technicians have also been trained in Cape Verde, where more than 10,000 nests are laid each year. Thanks to this previous experience, three years ago a first transfer of the eggs from two of these nests took place, while last year the second transfer was carried out.
After the hatching of the eggs, the turtles will be transferred to the so-called Turtle Nursery, in Morro Jable, where a "nursery" would be set up that for a year will take care of the development of these turtles to protect them from possible predators, and then they will be returned to the sea in freedom. This procedure would have to be repeated for several years, since it is estimated that the first turtles born in the sand of Cofete beach can return to proceed to their first laying around ten years of age.