On the night of July 16 to 17, there was a small miracle, on the beach of Valras (Hérault): a loggerhead turtle briefly left the waters of the Mediterranean, to lay eggs on the Languedoc sand. A rare occurrence, which was once the norm in the area. “Between pollution, catches in fishing gear, crowded and paved beaches, [les tortues] have lost a lot of space, “says 20 Minutes Lamya Essemlali, the president of the NGO (non-governmental organization) Sea Shepherd France, who fights for the defense of the oceans.
That a turtle comes to lay eggs on the beaches of the Mediterranean has become totally “totally unusual, whereas it was once a completely normal phenomenon”, she laments. This event is all the more rare as this mother turtle came to lay eggs at night on a “quite hostile” beach, very busy during the day, surrounded by street lamps and illuminated signs. “I couldn’t believe it, we are looking for a place to spread out our towel, is surprised Lamya Essemlali. This is also why it is miraculous. But it must be said that it has not always been a rare phenomenon. It is the cumulative impacts of human activities that have made it rare. »
Day and night monitoring
It was a walker who alerted the firefighters. Immediately, the municipality secured the site, with barriers, to protect the eggs, after the departure of the mother. And associations have taken turns, to ensure that no fool ventures near the nest. Hosted in a motorhome, on the site of the sailing school, volunteers from Sea Shepherd France, who came from all over France, notably took turns, day and night, to monitor the premises. But also to educate swimmers.
“If turtle nests are not seen upstream, and people trample them, the little ones below are doomed,” continues the NGO’s president. It may have happened. It is important for holidaymakers to be aware that they are in a living, fragile, dying environment. In my opinion, this spawning is a catalyst, which makes it possible to alert on marine life, on the impact of our lifestyles, and on our common responsibility. I can’t help but think of Mayotte, where turtles are killed with machetes every year, without it moving many people. »
The hatching of the eggs, on the beach of Valras, should take place in the next few days, even in the next few hours. But the mother will not come back to pick up her little ones. “They will reach the sea, and will manage on their own”, explains to 20 minutes Jean-Baptiste Sénégas, the founder of CestMed, the Center for the Study and Protection of Mediterranean Sea Turtles. And the females may come back, in some time, to lay their eggs at the foot of the Valras-Plage casino.