At 6:02pm on Saturday, 10 November, dozens of baby turtles began to hatch on Guibia Beach off Santo Domingo’s Malecon seafront avenue. Ministry of Environment experts say that 144 baby hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), an endangered species, were born. Two hours later, as part of their instinctive return to the waters, the baby turtles had taken to the Caribbean Sea. The turtle nest had 183 eggs. The turtle eggs that were laid on Guibia Beach fall under the protection of security staff posted at Guibia Park. The egg nest was protected because the turtle eggs have a high market value as they are considered aphrodisiacs. Turtle shells are also used for making arts and crafts. Furthermore, beach pollution, especially from plastic objects in the sand and floating at sea, has killed many turtles.
www.hawksbillseaturtle.org