3 volunteers protect sea turtles’ nests for 25 years

ANTALYA

The nesting and spawning phase of sea turtles in southern province of Antalya’s Çıralı Beach has been protected by three volunteers for 25 years.

Sea turtles come to this beach every year to nest and lay their eggs. The new-born turtles that meet with the sea do not forget the beach where they opened their eyes to the world and come back years later and build their nests.

However, this cycle of sea turtles can sometimes be disrupted by human intervention. To prevent this, three volunteers who came together in Çıralı beach 25 years ago established the Ulupınar Environmental Protection Development and Operation Cooperative.

Fahika Yeşildağ, Bayram Kütle, and Mustafa Ilgaz, who volunteered for the cooperative, have been protecting both the sea turtles and the nests full of eggs for a quarter of a century.

Taking security measures in the area, Yeşildağ, Kütle, and Ilgaz take on another duty when the turtles leave their nests and reach the sea in the early morning.

The three volunteers surround the nests with fences, numbering them to prevent any harm.

Yeşildağ, who settled in Çıralı after retiring in Germany, stated that she dedicated herself to this work, adding that she inherited the duty from her mother.

Expressing that she is also a mother herself, Yeşildağ emphasized that she understands mother sea turtles the best.

Last year, 9,000 eggs were laid in 104 nests on Çıralı beach. More than 3,500 hatchlings reached the sea from these nests. This year, the number of nests is currently 18.