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Video length: 2 min.
In Guyana, the beaches of Cayenne have become one of the most important turtle nesting sites in the world. At this time of year, nearly 500 olive ridley turtles have been counted.
As the sun is barely rising, Benoît de Thoisy, director of the Kwata association, is already observing the beach. It is a very important time of the year for the association. This is the period when the beaches of the island of Cayenne (Guyana) receive up to 90% of olive ridley turtle eggs. “Olive ridley turtles have this particularity of laying eggs by what is called the “arribada”, arrivals of several dozen or even several hundred individuals in a few days”, explains Benoît de Thoisy. The beaches of Cayenne have become over the years one of the most important egg-laying sites in the world.
Three times more olive ridley turtles than two years ago
The leatherback turtle, the largest sea turtle, is on the other hand less and less present on the Guyanese coast. To promote egg hatching, the Kwata association has set up a hatchery. The objective is to recover the eggs and place them safely in the enclosure on the sand, reproducing natural conditions. After two months of incubation, the turtles emerge from the nest and are released. The objective is to recover the eggs and place them safely in the enclosure on the sand, reproducing natural conditions.