Filenews 3 June 2021
At the end of May and the laying season of sea turtles (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas) has begun on the beaches of Cyprus.
As reported by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, the life cycle of sea turtles is closely related to land, since every year during the summer season adult females come out of the sea during the night hours to lay their eggs on the beaches.
The Department urges citizens to demonstrate appropriate environmental behaviour when they spot a sea turtle trying to lay its eggs. We have identified both in the past and now, on Social Media, inappropriate behaviours by citizens, such as filming and photography using light sources, sea turtles while trying to spawn on beaches, and their nuisance from human presence.
Sea turtles go out to beaches in peace and without lighting to lay their eggs. They are often forced by the human presence to abandon this effort and lay their eggs in the sea, destroying them.
There is indeed a great deal of excitement caused by the presence of these species and we understand that the strong feelings of joy in locating a sea turtle that gives birth can cause actions that unwittingly have negative consequences for the species. Audiovisual recording using a light source or any other nuisance causes a great deal of stress on the sea turtle and can completely abandon the effort or lay eggs and leave without covering them as they should.
Therefore, we ask the public to avoid any actions such as those mentioned above that may have negative effects on the effort being made to protect sea turtles found in our seas.
