Turtle night census / Credits: Batsú Estudio
The experience begins from the moment you take the boat to the Pacuare Reserve, you are immediately immersed in the rainforest, you feel fortunate to be in this environment, to hear the monkeys and birds, to admire the landscape, to feel the natural air, and then to arrive at your destination: the Pacuare Reserve.
Here you have a basic lodging, it's allows you to get in direct contact with nature and enjoy the biodiversity of this very special reserve, where forest, beach and wetland ecosystems are preserved.
You will be greeted with a welcome from one of the staff members and later you will receive a talk about the Reserve and the Later you will receive a talk about the Reserve and the protocol of proper behavior for your participation in the beach census. The census is a type of patrol that takes place during the late hours of the night, to properly care for the turtles as they arrive to lay their eggs on the Reserve's beach.
Turtle species nesting in the reserve
I was very surprised to learn interesting facts about the Reserve, the beach is 6 kilometers long, is one of the most important in the world for the nesting of the leatherback turtle, which is the largest turtle in the world and is in danger of extinction. With this you understand the importance of respecting the established protocols.
You also understand the hard work of this project to ensure the preservation of the leatherback and other species of sea turtles that nest on the preservation of the leatherback and other species of sea turtles that nest on the Reserve's beach, such as the green and hawksbill turtles, the latter in critical danger of extinction. Reserve, such as the green and hawksbill sea turtles, the latter of which is critically endangered. When you learn about this, you feel very happy to be part of this turtle monitoring task, knowing that you have the opportunity to see the largest turtle in the world so close to you.
How long to stay is recommended?
I recommend staying more than one night, in my case for example, the first night during my census shift, we did not see any turtles, even though it was nesting season, I still enjoyed walking under the full moon, admiring the starry sky and watching the reflection of the moon in the waves of the sea.
This way, if you don't see turtles one night, you still have a chance to go out on a census the next night. So, as a minimum it is recommended to stay 2 nights and if you can stay more.
My experience participating in a beach census
The excitement and adrenaline start after dinner, when you have already been informed when you will go out to the census, you will go out to the census. There are different schedules. Generally the duration of each census is duration of each census is 4 hours, so that there are always people who can attend the turtles that come to lay their eggs.
Then comes the countdown to go out to the census, depending on the time you are going out, you can go to your bed to rest for a while because a long walk on the beach awaits you.
When the time finally comes, you should get ready, wear pants and shirt. The clothes you wear should be dark, to prevent light clothing from disturbing the turtles. Remember that we do not want them to realize that we are on the beach and that they should carry out the process of nesting their eggs on the beach in the most natural way possible.
This activity is in charge of research assistants, who are young people who apply to contribute to volunteer work in turtle conservation during the nesting season. They receive intensive training and then become responsible for the sea turtle monitoring and nest conservation work carried out by Pacuare Reserve.
Because, in case we see turtles during the nesting process, we will handle them following the protocol, it is not allowed to use mosquito repellent (natural is preferred), because as the leatherback is such a sensitive species, we do not want to contaminate it. Also, it is advisable to bring with you some kind of snack, such as an energy bar or a cookie, so you can have something to eat along the way. In addition to a bottle of water, to hydrate yourself while walking. As for footwear, the ideal is to use Crocs type shoes, and wear socks to take care of your feet. You must also remember to follow the instructions of the assistants at all times.
My experience of seeing a turtle
I was fortunate that night was a full moon, so the visibility on the beach at night was very good. Walking on the beach, with the sound of the waves, seeing the starry sky with the illumination of the moon, makes you feel full peace. In this moment you realize it was all worth it.
We saw a path that a leatherback turtle made when it came out and then we saw the turtle. During the full moon it is incredible, as the giant shell reflects the moonlight.
Something that leaves you breathless, speechless.
You must follow the instructions of the assistants and make your presence imperceptible to the turtle. Once the turtle chooses the nesting site, cleans it and prepares to lay her eggs, she enters a trance, which disconnects her a little from the environment and is when the process begins where she is handled under the standards that Pacuare Reserve has established, which are:
Taking measurements of the size of the turtle and its shell.
Note the place where the turtle is nesting.
Check if it has a tag (if it does not have one, one is placed)
Record if it has wounds
Placement of the plastic bag to collect the eggs.
These eggs will be transported as carefully as possible to an assigned space, called a hatchery. The eggs are placed in the hatchery, where they will hatch approximately 60 days later.
Participating in this type of activities carried out by the Pacuare Reserve, not only allows you to fulfill the dream of seeing a leatherback turtle, but also leaves you with a great lesson about the importance of the work carried out by these projects to contribute to the conservation of species whose existence is increasingly compromised.
I invite you to click here, and you can live this memorable experience that only Reserva Pacuare offers to its visitors.
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