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Loggerhead Turtle Lays Eggs In Ramla Bay For First Time In 70 Years

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A female loggerhead turtle was spotted laying eggs in Ramla Bay, a sight not seen in Gozo for over 70 years.

The natural event took place last evening at around 10 pm, as a turtle was seen emerging from the water to nest and left the scene an hour and a half later.

This is not the usual time for such sightings and in fact, turtle nestings were also seen in Ragusa Bay in Sicily, marking an early season. The last turtle nesting seen on the islands was in 2002, 2014 and 2018 in Malta, where over 100 turtle eggs successfully hatched on our beaches.

Relevant authorities were notified by Nature Trust, a wildlife organization, whose volunteers spotted the nesting and guarded the site.

The Environment Resource Authority will now decide how best to ensure that the nest is protected. If all goes to plan, the turtle hatching should occur this July.

In the meantime, volunteers from Nature Trust are teaming up with ERA officials to give the eggs the best chances of hatching. There are a few threats to consider – like the Ghost crab, a local predator in the bay, as well as artificial lighting, beach erosion and pollution.

The organisation called on the public to keep their distance from the nest and help them make this another successful nesting.

 

 

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Sam is a journalist, artist and writer based in Malta. Send her pictures of hands or need-to-know stories on politics or art on [email protected].

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