Not One Leatherback Turtle Returned To Nicaragua's Chacocente Reserve This Year

[hatrack]

Every year, from November through March, leatherback sea turtles arrive to the secluded shores of the Río Escalante Chacocente wildlife reserve on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast to lay their eggs. Though leatherback nesting habits vary, Chacocente has been a reliable egg-laying site for as long as conservationists have collected nesting data.

But this year, not a single leatherback came to Chacocente, and conservation groups in Costa Rica and Mexico, have recorded declines in sightings of the huge turtles. “This is the first time it’s happened and the chances are that it will happen again,” said Alison Gunn, the Americas and Caribbean program manager for Fauna & Flora International, which tags all female leatherbacks that nest in Chacocente. “I do view it as an indicator that we should really sit up and take notice of.”

The largest of all sea turtles, leatherbacks can weigh up to 1,500lb (680kg) and reach over 6ft (2 meters) in length, placing them among the largest reptiles in the world.

But despite their enormous size, leatherback populations face threats from human activity, and the eastern Pacific population of leatherbacks is classified as critically endangered.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/15/leatherback-turtles-nicaragua

[littlemissmartypants]

1. This is really sad. nt