Caretta carettas lay eggs in Antalya's Kemer

Members of the Ulupınar Environmental Protection, Development and Operation Cooperative, Kemer Municipality and the National Parks Directorate teams opened holes for the eggs. 

A total of 101 caretta caretta eggs were taken from their place, which was 1.5 meters from the sea, and placed in a new place, three meters from the sea. Some tourists on the beach aided in the transfer of the eggs to the new place. 

After the transfer, the holes were taken under protection with iron cages while warning signs were installed. 

One of the cooperative’s founding members, Habip Altınkaya, said that when the eggs were very close to the sea, they could become inundated, causing the unborn turtles to die before hatching. As such, the eggs should be transferred to a place far from the sea within 24 hours. 

“Ulupınar’s Çıralı beach is one of the official caretta caretta nests. The beach is home to nearly 100 nests annually. A caretta caretta which lay eggs on Ayışığı Beach might have come from Çıralı because it had no more time to lay eggs.” 

Altınkaya said they found 101 eggs from the nest. “We will check up on the eggs for the next 45-60 days.

We will open the nests when the babies are born in around two months.”