Page 14 - ARUBA TODAY

A14 LOCAL
Monday 22 May 2017
The Leatherback Turtle Season has Started on Aruba!

(Dermochelyscoriacea) bean Sea, but in the North- Beach, laid by just two dif-
is the largest of the seven ern part of the Atlantic ferent females. Those two
species of sea turtles liv- Ocean. Every 2-4 years the did a splendid job, above
ing in the world’s oceans adult female will return to the average. But in gen-
today. Aruba is proud to lay her eggs on the beach eral 2016 was not a very
welcome these magnifi- where she herself was born. abundant Leatherback
cent animals every year. She does not lay just one nesting year, not here on
They are the oldest “repeat nest, but repeat the egg Aruba and neither in the
guests” of the island. laying every 8-12 days with rest of the Caribbean re-
The Leatherback Sea Turtle an average of seven nests gion. Let’s see what 2017
does not live in the Carib- per season. The eggs need will bring us!
Leatherbacks can be
found not only at Eagle
Beach/Low Rise area, but
also at other sandy beach-
es like Arashi, Andicuri,
Boca Grandi.
If you find tracks/activity of
EAGLE BEACH – Recently called Driekiel, hence the a sea turtle on the beach,
the first Leatherback nest name Driekiel-O-Meter for please call the Turtle Ho-
of this year was found on the big sign placed along tline as soon as possible.
the beach in front of Am- the Boulevard at Eagle Thanks!
sterdam Manor and as we Beach, in front of Paradise More info:
can see on the Driekiel-O- Beach Villa’s. You can find turtugaruba@hotmail.
Meter sign there are two a lot of information on this comwww.facebook.com/
nests now. The Leather- sign. Turtugaruba
back Sea Turtle is locally The Leatherback Sea Turtle
Turtle Hotline (297) 592-
60 – 70 days of incuba- 9393.q
tion, so it will take about
two months to see the little
hatchings leaving the nest.
Last year a total of 20 nests
were counted on Eagle