Turtles on the Beach

 

Nest #106, eggs laid on October 2, 2021 and then taken from the beach to the nursery, 110 eggs laid, expected to hatch on December 30, 2021.

The turtle nursery.  Each basket in the sand is a nest of turtle eggs with its own sign with all that information.

The beach at the C-Resort in Prampram, east of Accra, where the turtles eggs are laid, captured, and the hatched turtles are later let loose for the ocean.  The resort is the most modern and clean hotel we have seen in Ghana.  One big draw is the turtle nursery where the eggs are protected until they hatch, then the turtles are put out on the beach where they find their way to the ocean.  They either see the white surf in the night, hear the sound, or simply sense where the water is and are drawn to it.

The mother turtles come ashore and dig a hole to lay the eggs.  A hard journey out of the water, up the beach, dig a hole with their flippers, lay the eggs, bury the eggs, then scoot themselves back into the water.  The people at the turtle nursery wait for the females to come ashore, watch them dig, then when the eggs are about to be laid, put a plastic sheet in the hole to catch the eggs without the mom knowing it.  The mom buries the hole, which has no eggs in it, and the workers take the eggs to the nursery where they are buried in the sand and the nest is marked so the estimated hatching day is known.  A careful process that allows more turtles to make it to the ocean than would otherwise make it.  Even with all the care taken, approximately 1% or 2% of the hatched turtles reach adulthood. Crabs, pigs, other animals or birds find the beach nests and eat the eggs whenever they can.  And, once the baby turtles get into the water, sea animals like to eat them as well.  It's a tough life for a sea turtle.  Good thing we were born humans.

The resort is nice.  We stayed there one night in November to, hopefully, see a hatching.  We were not disappointed.   Our friends, Larry and Pat Woodbury, the Humanitarian Missionaries, had told us a lot about the place.  So, we and the Steve and Kathy Kittelson (he is the Mental Health Missionary), decided to visit the place with the Woodbury's.  It was a fun get-away.

Above, the baby turtles have been taken from the protected nursery where they came up out of the sand, and put into a basket to transport them to the beach.  Red lights are used because it doesn't distract the little guys like white light does.

Here the turtles are being placed on the sand.  As you can guess, the surf is to the left and the little guys are making a beeline to meet the water.  Some are fast, some are a bit slower and a few take a long time to do it, and you wonder what is going to happen to them.  We didn't help any along, and each one finally got into the water and disappeared into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean.  Remarkable.  

Here is the day-time nursery caretaker, Mary, and her little girl, Gabby (Gabriel).  African mothers carry their babies this way, strapped to their backs.  It leaves the mom's hands free to work and they always know where the baby is.  (The only concern I have with it is I believe some kids develop bowed legs because of it.) Mary tends to the eggs to keep them safe.  Crabs still try to get at them.  We saw evidence of that as we walked through the nursery.  Manasseh, a guy, takes the night shift.  Manasseh called us at 3:30 a.m. to say the turtles had hatched and he was ready to put them out on the beach.  We quickly got dressed and headed over to the nursery.  That was the morning of November 15.  

The resort is owned by Faysal, a Lebanese, who is still expanding the place.  He sold his wood business (not sure what it was, but it was apparently successful) in Lebanon and spends most of his time here.  His son is also involved.  I learned a lot about Lebanon and the Muslim faith as we visited by one of the resort's pools the morning we left.  Latter-day Saints and Muslims can be so close in some faith-based teachings, and so far apart in others.  It was good to talk with him.

The resort is stretched out with four different guest buildings, each one different.  The restaurant is out doors and a very pleasant place to relax and enjoy.  Adjacent to the restaurant dining is a bar with a pool table.  It was tough playing a game with Larry Woodbury and Steve Kittelson.  The humidity made my hands sticky and there was no chalk to put on my hand like I usually do, so many shots were lousy.  We all had fun, though, and enjoyed the time together.

Below is a shot of the bar with the cool stools.  The turtle nursery is outside on the right.  I like the outdoorseyness of the place.

The resort was not easy to recognize as we approached it in the truck.  It is off a "country" road, along a washed out dirt road/trail.  Here is the gate to the resort.  There is a guard stationed just inside.  I took this shot as we were leaving.

After taking this picture, I turned around and took this shot of the road coming from the "country" road.  Hard to believe it is the way it is.  But, it just is.  The resort is a nice place, but you would not believe it from the access road.

Have a nice day!