Times of India, IANS
Dec 22, 2011, 10.52AM IST
MEXICO CITY: Mexican authorities recorded a total of 42.2 million Olive Ridley, Leatherback and Kemp's Ridley sea turtle births during the 2010-11 nesting season, authorities said.
Efforts to secure the protection of female turtles and their nests and safeguard hatchlings' journey to the ocean are led by the National Commission on Natural Protected Areas, or Conanp, at 33 nesting beaches, the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat said in a statement Tuesday.
Ten of those beaches are natural protected areas, three are located inside biosphere reserves, 15 are internationally designated wetlands sites and the remainder are located in areas without special protection mechanisms, the secretariat said.
Approximately 1.2 million Olive Ridley turtle nests were laid and 23.3 million offspring made their way to the ocean at the Playa de Escobilla sanctuary and Morro Ayuta beach, both located in the southern state of Oaxaca.
A total of 20,574 Kemp's Ridley turtle nests were laid in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas and 534 in the eastern state of Veracruz and an estimated 18.9 million hatchlings reached the sea in those two regions.
"The nesting figure for the latest season is up (compared to the previous season), and therefore the conclusion can be drawn that the population is on the road to recovery," the secretariat said.
In the case of the Leatherback turtle, one of the most threatened turtle species in Mexico, authorities counted a total of 615 nests, mainly on the coasts of the Pacific states of Michoacan, Guerrero and Oaxaca.
In those states, authorities supervised the entrance to the sea of 15,414 Leatherback offspring.
The secretariat estimates that around 1,647 Leatherback turtle nests were laid along the entire Pacific coast during the 2010-11 nesting season.
Invasion of their habitat (beaches) by man, accidental fishing, depredation of their nests by some communities that still consume their flesh and eggs and injuries suffered by boats' outboard motors are the main dangers sea turtles in Mexico face.
Mexico banned the harvest of sea turtles for commercial or subsistence reasons in April 2006.
(Editor-Anyone out there who could verify this?)
via Herp Digest
Showing posts with label kemp's ridley turtles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kemp's ridley turtles. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Zoo vet makes house calls for sick turtles (Via Herp Digest)
Zoo vet makes house calls for sick turtles
by ALLAN TURNER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
August 26, 2011
GALVESTON - Eighteen years ago, a lunch plate-sized female Kemp's ridley sea turtle - one of thousands hatched and nurtured to save the species from extinction - was released off Galveston Island. This May, the turtle, weighing about 100 pounds and laden with dozens of eggs, returned to nest near Jamaica Beach.
It should have been a victorious return, an indication that the endangered species, reduced to only 300 known breeding females in 1985, was making a comeback. But this return was no success.
A boat's propeller had cleaved a 100-square-inch segment from the animal's shell, shattering much of what remained. Bleeding, oozing, its mangled rear quarters resembling hamburger meat, the turtle that would be designated LNH110528-01 seemed destined to die.
Discovered by a beachcomber, the animal was taken to the National Marine Fisheries Service's Galveston turtle hospital and a frantic call was placed to Dr. Joe Flanagan, veterinary chief at the Houston Zoo.
When it comes to sick or injured turtles, Flanagan, 53, is the region's go-to doc, a gray-haired, avuncular Dr. Oz, Marcus Welby and Dr. Ruth rolled into one. Ben Higgins, manager of the fishery service's sea turtle program, calls Flanagan's volunteer work key to his hospital's success.
"We can't afford a veterinarian," he says.
Up to 45 turtles a year - victims of infections, propellers or fishhooks - come under Flanagan's care. Most are treated at the Houston Zoo, where he oversees the 17-member team charged with caring for the facility's 6,000 animals.
Those requiring long-term care are kept in tanks at the Galveston hospital, an unfunded sideline of the federal program to test strategies to save turtles from commercial fishing operations.
Armed with a sophisticated pharmaceutical arsenal and skilled at delicate surgical maneuvers accomplished through tissues outside the shell, Flanagan modestly plays down his role in turtle health.
"Turtles," he says, "will survive."
Flanagan, a Nebraska native who took his veterinary training at Iowa State University, professes a fascination with turtles that dates to his childhood.
"They occur all over the world, from oceans to deserts. They all hatch from eggs, but some in less than two months and others in 18. The come in all sizes. Some fit in the palm of your hand, some are 6 to 8 feet. . They're just neat to look at."
This week, Flanagan's hospitalized patients included tiny hawksbill turtles whose flippers were severed by fibers of nylon bags in which they'd become entangled; a turtle that suffered bleeding after a fishhook was extracted from its neck; loggerhead hatchlings that inexplicably stopped eating; and LNH110528-01, which was to be examined for possible release.
Touch-and-go
The fate of the stranded ridley was touch-and-go after she was discovered May 28 while attempting to dig nest holes near Jamaica Beach. A boat's propeller had sliced away much of her shell, exposing muscle, fat and connective tissue.
"It was certain that a person couldn't go through that surgically without worry of totally contaminating the abdominal cavity," Flanagan says.
An ultrasound showed she was filled with eggs. Flanagan administered oxytocin, medication to induce laying, obtaining 68 eggs, most of which hatched. Systemic antibiotics were given, but the situation remained grim.
The turtle refused to eat, either because she was suffering intense pain or because other eggs remained in her body. X-rays showed she still carried more than a dozen eggs.
A "living tag" on the turtle's shell revealed it had been one of the ridleys hatched in a discontinued Galveston breeding program in 1993. Flanagan, who had worked as a volunteer in that program, feels a special tie to the injured animal. Recalling her fate "almost brought tears to my eyes."
In mid-July, broken shells were found in her tank. More oxytocin was given and the rest of the eggs expelled. At that point, the patient's health and prognosis improved. The open wounds have sealed and toughened.
Not quite ready to go
Although a final decision has not been made, it appears after Flanagan's examination of the turtle that the ridley is not ready to be released.
Protective bone eventually will grow beneath the damaged shell, but that process could take a year. Fractured parts of the remaining shell could be reinforced with braces, but there's no guarantee the patch would last.
"If we release her as she is," Flanagan says, "she never will heal."
by ALLAN TURNER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
August 26, 2011
GALVESTON - Eighteen years ago, a lunch plate-sized female Kemp's ridley sea turtle - one of thousands hatched and nurtured to save the species from extinction - was released off Galveston Island. This May, the turtle, weighing about 100 pounds and laden with dozens of eggs, returned to nest near Jamaica Beach.
It should have been a victorious return, an indication that the endangered species, reduced to only 300 known breeding females in 1985, was making a comeback. But this return was no success.
A boat's propeller had cleaved a 100-square-inch segment from the animal's shell, shattering much of what remained. Bleeding, oozing, its mangled rear quarters resembling hamburger meat, the turtle that would be designated LNH110528-01 seemed destined to die.
Discovered by a beachcomber, the animal was taken to the National Marine Fisheries Service's Galveston turtle hospital and a frantic call was placed to Dr. Joe Flanagan, veterinary chief at the Houston Zoo.
When it comes to sick or injured turtles, Flanagan, 53, is the region's go-to doc, a gray-haired, avuncular Dr. Oz, Marcus Welby and Dr. Ruth rolled into one. Ben Higgins, manager of the fishery service's sea turtle program, calls Flanagan's volunteer work key to his hospital's success.
"We can't afford a veterinarian," he says.
Up to 45 turtles a year - victims of infections, propellers or fishhooks - come under Flanagan's care. Most are treated at the Houston Zoo, where he oversees the 17-member team charged with caring for the facility's 6,000 animals.
Those requiring long-term care are kept in tanks at the Galveston hospital, an unfunded sideline of the federal program to test strategies to save turtles from commercial fishing operations.
Armed with a sophisticated pharmaceutical arsenal and skilled at delicate surgical maneuvers accomplished through tissues outside the shell, Flanagan modestly plays down his role in turtle health.
"Turtles," he says, "will survive."
Flanagan, a Nebraska native who took his veterinary training at Iowa State University, professes a fascination with turtles that dates to his childhood.
"They occur all over the world, from oceans to deserts. They all hatch from eggs, but some in less than two months and others in 18. The come in all sizes. Some fit in the palm of your hand, some are 6 to 8 feet. . They're just neat to look at."
This week, Flanagan's hospitalized patients included tiny hawksbill turtles whose flippers were severed by fibers of nylon bags in which they'd become entangled; a turtle that suffered bleeding after a fishhook was extracted from its neck; loggerhead hatchlings that inexplicably stopped eating; and LNH110528-01, which was to be examined for possible release.
Touch-and-go
The fate of the stranded ridley was touch-and-go after she was discovered May 28 while attempting to dig nest holes near Jamaica Beach. A boat's propeller had sliced away much of her shell, exposing muscle, fat and connective tissue.
"It was certain that a person couldn't go through that surgically without worry of totally contaminating the abdominal cavity," Flanagan says.
An ultrasound showed she was filled with eggs. Flanagan administered oxytocin, medication to induce laying, obtaining 68 eggs, most of which hatched. Systemic antibiotics were given, but the situation remained grim.
The turtle refused to eat, either because she was suffering intense pain or because other eggs remained in her body. X-rays showed she still carried more than a dozen eggs.
A "living tag" on the turtle's shell revealed it had been one of the ridleys hatched in a discontinued Galveston breeding program in 1993. Flanagan, who had worked as a volunteer in that program, feels a special tie to the injured animal. Recalling her fate "almost brought tears to my eyes."
In mid-July, broken shells were found in her tank. More oxytocin was given and the rest of the eggs expelled. At that point, the patient's health and prognosis improved. The open wounds have sealed and toughened.
Not quite ready to go
Although a final decision has not been made, it appears after Flanagan's examination of the turtle that the ridley is not ready to be released.
Protective bone eventually will grow beneath the damaged shell, but that process could take a year. Fractured parts of the remaining shell could be reinforced with braces, but there's no guarantee the patch would last.
"If we release her as she is," Flanagan says, "she never will heal."
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Costa Rica Investigates Mysterious Death of Sea Turtles
INSIDE COASTA RICA (San José) 12/13/10
Scientists in Costa Rica are studying the death of at least 10 and 12 more ailing turtles in the southern zone. Universidad Nacional (UN) told the press that the environmental organization MarVia found the 22 turtles floating near Matapalo beach.
Ten of the Kemp's Ridley turtles died within days of bringing them to shore and biologists and veterinarians have no ida of what caused their deaths.
According to Widecast Network, this occurs when creatures have been floating adrift in the water for a prolonged period.
Widecast diretor, Claudio Quesada, told the La Nación that the turtles could have been at sea for more than two months, as they showed dehydration and lack of feeding for weeks.
Chemicals from nearby drainage from crops of palm, rice and pineapple, given their concentration of agrochemicals, could be the reason as some of the substances could affect the turtles.
So far this year another 41 Kemp's Ridleys were found in the biological reserve on Caño Island in a similar state as those of Matapalo.
Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys, the other one being L. olivacea, the Olive Ridley. It is also the rarest sea turtle. Kemp's Ridley is the smallest living sea turtle species, reaching maturity at 2-3 feet (61-91 cm) long and averaging only 45 kilograms (99 lb).
It is typical of a sea turtle, having a dorsoventrally depressed body with specially adapted flipper-like front limbs. Like other sea turtles, it possesses a horny beak.
From: Herp Digest,
Volume # 10 Issue # 55
Scientists in Costa Rica are studying the death of at least 10 and 12 more ailing turtles in the southern zone. Universidad Nacional (UN) told the press that the environmental organization MarVia found the 22 turtles floating near Matapalo beach.
Ten of the Kemp's Ridley turtles died within days of bringing them to shore and biologists and veterinarians have no ida of what caused their deaths.
According to Widecast Network, this occurs when creatures have been floating adrift in the water for a prolonged period.
Widecast diretor, Claudio Quesada, told the La Nación that the turtles could have been at sea for more than two months, as they showed dehydration and lack of feeding for weeks.
Chemicals from nearby drainage from crops of palm, rice and pineapple, given their concentration of agrochemicals, could be the reason as some of the substances could affect the turtles.
So far this year another 41 Kemp's Ridleys were found in the biological reserve on Caño Island in a similar state as those of Matapalo.
Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys, the other one being L. olivacea, the Olive Ridley. It is also the rarest sea turtle. Kemp's Ridley is the smallest living sea turtle species, reaching maturity at 2-3 feet (61-91 cm) long and averaging only 45 kilograms (99 lb).
It is typical of a sea turtle, having a dorsoventrally depressed body with specially adapted flipper-like front limbs. Like other sea turtles, it possesses a horny beak.
From: Herp Digest,
Volume # 10 Issue # 55
Costa Rica Investigates Mysterious Death of Sea Turtles
INSIDE COASTA RICA (San José) 12/13/10
Scientists in Costa Rica are studying the death of at least 10 and 12 more ailing turtles in the southern zone. Universidad Nacional (UN) told the press that the environmental organization MarVia found the 22 turtles floating near Matapalo beach.
Ten of the Kemp's Ridley turtles died within days of bringing them to shore and biologists and veterinarians have no ida of what caused their deaths.
According to Widecast Network, this occurs when creatures have been floating adrift in the water for a prolonged period.
Widecast diretor, Claudio Quesada, told the La Nación that the turtles could have been at sea for more than two months, as they showed dehydration and lack of feeding for weeks.
Chemicals from nearby drainage from crops of palm, rice and pineapple, given their concentration of agrochemicals, could be the reason as some of the substances could affect the turtles.
So far this year another 41 Kemp's Ridleys were found in the biological reserve on Caño Island in a similar state as those of Matapalo.
Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys, the other one being L. olivacea, the Olive Ridley. It is also the rarest sea turtle. Kemp's Ridley is the smallest living sea turtle species, reaching maturity at 2-3 feet (61-91 cm) long and averaging only 45 kilograms (99 lb).
It is typical of a sea turtle, having a dorsoventrally depressed body with specially adapted flipper-like front limbs. Like other sea turtles, it possesses a horny beak.
From: Herp Digest,
Volume # 10 Issue # 55
Scientists in Costa Rica are studying the death of at least 10 and 12 more ailing turtles in the southern zone. Universidad Nacional (UN) told the press that the environmental organization MarVia found the 22 turtles floating near Matapalo beach.
Ten of the Kemp's Ridley turtles died within days of bringing them to shore and biologists and veterinarians have no ida of what caused their deaths.
According to Widecast Network, this occurs when creatures have been floating adrift in the water for a prolonged period.
Widecast diretor, Claudio Quesada, told the La Nación that the turtles could have been at sea for more than two months, as they showed dehydration and lack of feeding for weeks.
Chemicals from nearby drainage from crops of palm, rice and pineapple, given their concentration of agrochemicals, could be the reason as some of the substances could affect the turtles.
So far this year another 41 Kemp's Ridleys were found in the biological reserve on Caño Island in a similar state as those of Matapalo.
Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys, the other one being L. olivacea, the Olive Ridley. It is also the rarest sea turtle. Kemp's Ridley is the smallest living sea turtle species, reaching maturity at 2-3 feet (61-91 cm) long and averaging only 45 kilograms (99 lb).
It is typical of a sea turtle, having a dorsoventrally depressed body with specially adapted flipper-like front limbs. Like other sea turtles, it possesses a horny beak.
From: Herp Digest,
Volume # 10 Issue # 55
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