Second chance - 08:27 am

12 Nov 2009

We have had a major setback here in the field. The underwater camera we use has decided that it has had enough of this, and packed up. We can still film but the problem is that we cannot get the media off of the camera cards. Sigh. The logistics team in the office has been awesome though and are sending us a replacement camera as we speak. So we will dive again!

For now we will be operating with just the terrestrial camera, which is why when Grant and I got word that they were excavating an old green turtle nest we jumped at the opportunity to tag along.

A conservation team called Maluane has been set up here on Vamizi for 6 years now. They do amazing work with turtle monitoring, tagging, tracking, etc. They gentleman who we went along with on this excavation explained to me that most days he walks up to 15kms along the beach looking for tracks of a newly laid clutch or alternatively signs that the hatchlings have left the nest. Today we returned to a sight that had been marked just short of three months prior, to count how many hatchlings made it as well as to see if any of the weaker ones could be saved. 

I had no idea what to expect as the team started digging and sifting handfuls of sand out of this narrow hole. When the egg casing started to appear, the hole must have been the full length of this mans arm. It is truly amazing to think that the female turtle can dig a nest like this with just her rear flippers. Out of 113 counted eggs, only eight seemed to not have made it and as sad as it was for these eight, that is an excellent average. As the one gentleman was sifting through the sand, there was the tiniest detectable movement. It appeared that there were two little hatchlings that were weak, but still alive.

It was so moving to watch this little creature make its way down the beach, its intrinsic instincts telling it to get to the water as fast as possible. This is something that I will never forget.
Leahb

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