A Philippine village on lockdown delivers nearly 300 turtle hatchlings to sea

A village in the southern Philippines known as a nesting haven for critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) has managed to protect and oversee the successful hatching of hundreds of eggs amid a community lockdown. The community released 299 hatchlings into the sea in the first two weeks of May and anticipate another 100 to be hatched before the end of the month, making it their most successful month in recent years. It’s a welcome resurgence for the town of Magsaysay, where the number of hatchlings has decreased significantly over the past few years, in part due to rising sea levels causing the eggs buried on the beach to spoil. The town has been under lockdown, known locally as a community quarantine, since March 17 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. BUTUAN CITY, Philippines — Villagers in the southern Philippines taking part in an initiative to protect turtle nesting sites have recorded their most successful season in recent years, with nearly 300 hatchlings released into the sea in the first half of May alone — and more expected before the month ends. Residents of the barangay, or village, of Candiis, in the coastal town of Magsaysay, released a first […]

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