As Cyclone Alfred endangers to batter Australia’s eastern coastline, an island area experienced a “moment of hope”. Dozens of tiny sea turtles hatched on a beach at Queensland’s Bribie Island and raced into the safety of the ocean.
Pictures shared online show a crowd of locals gathered at Woorim Beach, relieved they escaped before their nest was flooded by strong tides. Locals responded on social media with delight, saying: “Go well youngsters” and “what a day to hatch”.
Mick Croft from Turtles of Moreton Bay – which operates across the wider area – said there are 40 other nests at risk from the storm, which is expected to make landfall tomorrow.
“Around 20 nests have been relocated, but there are going to be some nests that are going to be inundated with flood waters,” he informed Yahoo News.
On sand, hatchlings have a much better possibility of survival than grown-up sea turtles due to the fact that they have the ability to turn themselves over. “We want to see as many hats as possible before the cyclone arrives,” he claimed.
Biggest danger for adult sea turtles revealed
It’s once the storm has passed that adult turtles and dugongs will face their biggest dangers. Large amounts of rubbish are likely to be washed into the water. Plastic bags are a particular problem because they are often mistaken for food, and once consumed they can block the turtle’s internal organs.
Another expected problem will be mud that contains pesticides being washed into the water. Chemicals are likely to not only make them sick, but they could also affect the sea grasses they eat.
After storms, wildlife volunteers around Brisbane, Moreton Bay and the surrounding islands attend to increased numbers of turtles with flotation issues. Older turtles will compete with juveniles for food, leaving the youngsters to starve.
In Queensland, dead or injured turtles can be reported to the department of environment (DETSI) on 1300 130 372.
Love Australia’s weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.
Source link caas-jump-link-heading (*) biggest-danger-for-adult-sea-turtles-revealed (*) cpos:8; pos:1 (*) rel=”nofollow noopener (*) _ empty (*) slk: brand-new e-newsletter; cpos:8; pos:1; elm: context_link; itc:0; sec: content-canvas (*) web link (*) caas-figure” > (*).
