- EDITIONS:
Spanish News Today
Murcia Today
Andalucia Today
PROPERTY SEARCH
VIDEO: Benidorm beach treated to rare sight of turtle laying eggs
The loggerhead turtle appeared on the usually packed Poniente beach, Benidorm
Esta tortuga Boba es muy lista . Ha elegido la playa de Benidorm, el mejor sitio para desovar.
— Policía Local Benidorm (@POLICIALOCAL) August 7, 2024
Nuestra Unidad de Medio Ambiente junto al Guarda Rural Municipal ya custodian el nido que este maravilloso ejemplar de una hembra de la especie y género Caretta Caretta ha realizado. pic.twitter.com/GhCkBDOh5F
An endangered loggerhead turtle cleverly chose the quiet early morning of Wednesday August 7 to creep on shore at Benidorm’s usually packed Poniente beach in search of the perfect nesting spot. While the shore was practically deserted, a couple of tourists spotted this incredibly rare sight and notified the authorities.
A recent study by the holiday rental platform Holidu judged Poniente beach to be the busiest in all of Europe, with an influx of 550,000 people throughout the year.
Due to both the high number of visitors and its location close to the bustling main drag, the sandy beaches of Benidorm are hardly ever chosen by turtles, who prefer the relatively quieter strands along the Orihuela Costa.
But this expectant mum broke the mould, according to Local Police spokesperson Kike Tortosa, who explained that “at half past seven we received a call from a bather alerting us that there was a large turtle on Poniente Beach.”
Faced with this surprising development, several Benidorm Local Police officers “immediately went to the scene and were able to confirm that it was a loggerhead turtle that had nested in the sand.”
Since then, more experts have travelled to the Costa Blanca beach to carefully examine the nesting site and to determine if the turtle did actually lay eggs.
In the meantime, the police “have activated the protocol for protected animal species” which involves closing off the potential spawning site to curious beachgoers.
In the exciting event that the turtle has laid eggs, the experts will have two options.
On the one hand, if the number of eggs laid is small, it could be decided to transfer them all to specialised facilities to try to guarantee their future. However, if she has laid a large amount, the majority will be left on Poinente beach, but moved to a quieter spot where volunteers will guard them around the clock.
Image: Policia Local de Benidorm
staff.inc.ali
See more news about animals in Spain:
OR
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin to get a comprehensive email with all the week’s news for Spain, Murcia, Alicante and Andalucía.
Get a sneak peek – here are a few of our recent Subscription Bulletins:
50% Discount Special Offer subscription:
24.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
