Utila turtle rescue

By Gaby, Don and Glenn

The other morning on a routine sunrise walk to the beach, Don Waterhouse found a live adult hawksbill sea turtle apparently stuck between the rocks of the iron shore on the north side of the island.  “She was too big for one man to handle and I couldn’t lift her.  So I went back to get some help and some tools.”
Gaby, Don & Glenn got back to her quickly, and Gaby was ready with a hammer and a chisel to bust the coral from around her shell. But they managed to free her without having to break her loose. She was bloody having rubbed her legs on the rocks, but her wounds did not appear to be serious.
She came ashore to nest, digging several holes and making quite a path between the lilies. But it didn’t appear that she laid her eggs due to the coral rocks just below the sand. After a fourth attempt she must have decided to go back to the sea but on the way got stuck in between two high spots in the iron shore.
 “There are so many factors working against these animals,” said Don as they released the turtle. We keep an eye on important nesting areas this time of year and we hope this will change the minds of some of their
predators. Gabby added, “There aren’t many turtles left around Utila so let’s care for these endangered animals, please.”

What a team, what a success…       eat chicken, save the turtles!

Gaby and Don after freeing the turtle and putting it back into the sea