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Date Published: 19/06/2023

Endangered sea turtle lays 80 eggs on Denia beach in the first recorded Costa Blanca nesting of 2023

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An attempted loggerhead turtle nesting was recorded in Orihuela Costa days earlier

Endangered sea turtle lays 80 eggs on Denia beach in the first recorded Costa Blanca nesting of 2023

Environmentalists in the Valencia Region are celebrating the first successful loggerhead turtle nesting so far this year after an endangered 'caretta caretta' species laid 80 eggs on a beach in Denia.

A member of the public spotted the mother and eggs on Marineta Cassiana beach at around midnight on Sunday June 18, and immediately alerted the local police who contacted the relevant environmental emergency services.

Following the sighting, the Stranding Network, made up of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition, the University of Valencia and the Oceanogràfic Foundation, was activated and the site was safeguarded by the local police.

A rescue team from the Oceanogràfic Foundation confirmed 80 eggs had been laid in the sand and carried out a blood test and an ultrasound scan to check the adult turtle's state of health.

Technical staff from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the Universitat de València (UV) were also on the scene and fitted the reptile with a satellite transmitter to monitor its movements over the next few days. Endangered sea turtle lays 80 eggs on Denia beach in the first recorded Costa Blanca nesting of 2023

To ensure the development of the eggs, 14 of them are already in the Oceanogràfic's veterinary facilities. As is the case whenever turtle nests are found, they have been placed in the centre's incubators with suitable temperature and environment controls where they will stay until they hatch.

"The rest of the eggs have been relocated to a beach in a protected area of the Albufera Natural Park in Valencia so that the hatching process is not disturbed or they come into contact with onlookers or accidental passers-by," according to the Oceanogràfic Foundation. Endangered sea turtle lays 80 eggs on Denia beach in the first recorded Costa Blanca nesting of 2023

This is the first recorded nesting on the coasts of the Valencian Community so far this year, and comes just days after the attempted nesting of another sea turtle on Cala Capitan beach in Orihuela last Friday, June 16.

The municipal beach cleaning service activated the 112 protocol but the mother swam back into the water before laying.

According to biologist Juan Antonio Pujol, the turtle dug two chambers, but because they were located in a shallow, rocky area, "in the end the sea turtle did not lay its eggs".

"It is likely that it will come back out in the next few nights. It was marked and has been seen in Cala Bosque, also in Orihuela Costa, in the past," he added.

"The nesting in Denia is the 10th ever documented in the region and, once again, citizen collaboration has been a fundamental part of the protection of these animals," added the foundation.

In other news: Shark spotted on Orihuela Costa beach washes up dead in Cabo Roig

Images: Oceanogràfic Foundation

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