A Sea Turtle Lays Its Eggs on a Mojácar Beach

Just a few days after the end of the “Mojácar, here we save turtles” campaign, organized by the town’s Local Council, the Junta de Andalucía, and other institutions, a loggerhead turtle chose the beaches of Mojácar to lay its eggs. A female, already monitored by the University of Valencia and the Polytechnic University through the INGENI Project, financed by the Biodiversity Foundation, last Tuesday chose the Descargador beach in Mojácar to lay its eggs.

Alerted by a local resident, the protocol was put into operation, and the nest protected. Over approximately an hour and a half, the turtle laid 92 eggs. The location, a very busy beach, the proximity to the sea, and other considerations assessed by the experts made apparent the lack of conditions to guarantee the success of the laying. Under these circumstances, the experts who went to the location of the nesting took the decision to collect the eggs with a specialized technique and proceed to their incubation in different institutions that collaborate with the Regional Sustainability, Environment, and Blue Economy Ministry.

From the first moment, the Mojácar Local Police were in charge of the protection of the animal, arriving immediately and putting themselves at the disposition of the rest of the authorities, who also went there immediately: Environment, General Directorate of Coasts, and specialized experts in the subject. It is not the first time that the loggerhead turtle, which is currently at risk of extinction, has chosen the beach of Mojácar to lay its eggs. In fact, it is increasingly more common on the Mediterranean coasts.

The circumstance of being an endangered species makes the action of Mojácar Council more significant, taking a step forward for its protection through information campaigns or with direct actions, which it joins with or collaborates on, overseeing a more sustainable municipality and in harmony with nature through all means at its disposal.