Facts

After the sunset, when no people are allowed on the beaches of Laganas bay, it is the loggerhead’s turtle turn to visit them.

During the summer, from 7 am until the sun dissapears behind the horizon, access to the nesting beaches of Zakynthos is totally forbidden to the public.

Soon, a group of volunteers and specialists start their night surveys in order to check the number of the sea turtles that are going to nest.

The sea turtles and two months later their hatchlings use the beaches only during the night when the sand is not burning, while peace and quiet prevails.

Rasha Abdel - Majeed, a 31-year-old volunteer from Jordan who has participated in a night survey on Gerakas beach during June, describes in detail the conditions in which the survey is being carried out:

“We quietly wait at the end of the beach for the female turtles to emerge from the water because any kind of noise or artificial light could distract them from nesting and lead them back to the sea”

When a turtle lands, the monitoring group follow her carefully in order to understand her behaviour.

Rasha seems to enjoy her night shift and says with enthusiasm:

“It is very dark and we are not allowed to use any light but the moon and the stars!
We are usually covered in black from head to toe and as we fell on the ground? and crawl on our bellies behind them very quietly, we look like commandos!”.

Then the group watches the turtle while she is building her nest.

Rasha notes that sometimes the turtles even if they build a chamber, they abandon it either because they feel that the nest is not suitable for receiving her eggs.”

Should the turtle be deterred, it returns to the sea and tries to find another place to lay its eggs. After 2-3 attempts it aborts the eggs in the sea.

Once she has laid her eggs, volunteers and specialists can easily measure the size of her shell and flippers while looking for any injuries or any barnicles stuck on her shell.

Rasha explains that at this point the turtle becomes insensitive and they can easily check her physical condition.

Then they add a tag on her for future monitoring, unless she is already tagged and already monitored.

According to the international law at three o’clock the night surveys must stop and another group goes back at six o’clock in the morning.

Rasha says that it is important for the next working group to check thoroughly for more turtle tracks and possible nests that they might have missed the previous night.

“We check the story of each and every single turtle: we must find if there has been a new nest and record it if there are any abandoned egg chambers. Sometimes the nests are too close to the sea and we must then rellocate them if necessary into a new one.”

“Commandos” on a night patrol – feature story