Even though endangered Green Sea Turtles are known to be migratory creatures, the females have a history of returning to their exact birth-sites to lay eggs years after they first leave for the ocean. Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru most recently bore witness to this phenomenon. For the first time in 17 years, a mature female turtle came back to Vabbinfaru and gave birth to the island's second generation of Green Sea Turtles.
We recount the trials and tribulations these baby turtles have faced so far:
28th February 2004 ~ Nightfall. A pregnant Mother Turtle indolently crawls up-shore from the Indian Ocean, heads towards Villa #45 and starts digging a huge nest, into which she lays a clutch of 150 eggs.
29th February 2004 ~ All clear. Sunshine. Calm sea. The particular section of Vabbinfaru beach chosen by the Mother Turtle is one-and-a-half meters deep and five meters wide, a perfect site for nesting.
Lull before the storm ...
17th March 2004 ~ Disaster strikes! In the afternoon a brutal thunderstorm erodes most of the sand at the beach near Villa #45, leaving the fragile turtle nest destroyed and only 30 eggs intact.
18th March 2004 ~ Our marine biologists house the precious turtle eggs that have survived in a safe location on Vabbinfaru beach just in front of the new Marine Biology Lab, replicating the hatching conditions of the original nest as closely as possible.
*SWAT Team – The thunderstorm incident calls for the implementation of precautionary measures to prevent similar misfortunes from striking our turtle nests in future. The resort's in-house team of marine biologists decides to utilize existing sediment movement research from now on to monitor the Vabbinfaru beach more closely.
When scientific data predicts imminent catastrophe to new turtle populations, our rescue team will immediately relocate the eggs to a safe location, making sure that the innocent unborn turtles don't fall victim to nature's temperamental outbursts.
Two months pass by peacefully ...
28th April 2004 ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The baby turtles finally break free from their tiny confines, crack open their hard eggshells and see a whole new world after their 60-day gestation period.
*ANIMAL INSTINCTS – After having braved the storm successfully, the survivors face yet another dangerous test. Predators such as crabs, birds, fish and octopus are just some of the perilous threats the baby turtles encounter once they leave the safe cradle of their snug, warm nest.
To hungry predators, our baby turtles are scrumptious and easy prey, as they inch towards the ocean clumsily, and have yet to adjust their delicate limbs to the new activity of scurrying from dry land to an expansive ocean. More than 100 million years of evolution have ingrained in these fresh hatchlings an inborn sense that their survival chances are highest if they leave the nest together.
Such a coordinated group movement is possible because one baby turtle’s effort to escape its eggshell triggers a reaction in others to follow suit. Hence, the group will make a concerted effort to burrow right below the surface of the nest, waiting for the sand above to turn cold, which indicates the best hour for an escape on the quiet – nighttime.
As surrogate parent, Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru is proud to announce that 27 babies from the first batch have made it safely to the ocean.
28th May 2004 ~ Latest Update: there are currently four baby turtle nests at Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru. Another two nests are at its sister resort, Angsana Maldives Ihuru. Added up, this makes a total of about 900 turtle eggs, of which an estimated 80% will hatch by July this year – so watch this space for more turtle intrigues over the coming month!
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