Originally published August 15 2005
Endangered Florida turtle nests in Virginia
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Scientists were astounded last week when they found a turtle nest from an endangered Florida turtle on a Virginia beach.
State and federal wildlife officials are agog by the discovery along a stretch of beach lined by vacation cottages.
"It is a mind blower," added refuge director Jared Brandwein.
The green sea turtle, which is protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act, commonly nests in southeastern Florida, although a few females previously have laid eggs on beaches as far north as North Carolina's Outer Banks.
A team of refuge staffers transplanted in coolers the leathery eggs to a secluded site on the refuge Tuesday morning, one day after the turtle laid them at high tide.
They moved the eggs in coolers and reburied them with sand from the original nest, placing them inside a heavy wire mesh cage to protect the eggs from predators such as raccoons and foxes.
They used umbrellas to shade the eggs from the sun while Gallegos carefully tried to replace them in the same order as the mother laid them.
The eggs are expected to hatch around mid-September.
Because a nest this far north is so rare, biologists are debating whether to fly the hatchlings to Florida for release.
"Some think we shouldn't be encouraging green sea turtle nesting here because it may not be well-suited for them," Gallegos said.
While green sea turtles in Virginia are rare, nesting loggerhead turtles are fairly common, with an average of three or four a year nesting on or near the refuge since the 1980s.
Populations of the green sea turtle off Florida and Mexico's Pacific Coast are considered endangered.
Mature females lay eggs once every two or three years, and they are known to congregate in lush grass beds off the Florida Keys and Bermuda when they aren't nesting.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml