Today I have but one sad tale to tell you. Today we (That is Noemi and I) went out to check on one of the turtle nests that was close to hatching. It was a beautiful day (As is almost every day in Honduras) with the sun shining overhead, the tide far out, and the magnificent frigate birds flying overhead. As we walked to Santiago's hatchery little did we know the tragedy in store for us. Upon arriving at the hatchery we dug up the dirt overlying the nest (Olive Ridleys bury their eggs in a 30-40 cm hole) and carefully removed a few of the eggs for inspection. Alas every egg we brought up was drowned! For the two previous nights it had rained quite heavily utterly soaking the loose ground in our nest and drowning the baby turtles within (Tortuginas). With heavy hearts we broke open a few of the eggs to see the damage. Embryonic fluids and water spilled from the eggs onto the sand.The poor infants were almost fully developed when their little lives were snatched away by the storm.The dead eyes of one little guy stared at me pleadingly; the look of those dead eyes will haunt we for some time. None of the eighty two eggs in the nest (As far as know) survived. We went away today mourning the loss of our baby turtles and hoping that the other nests had not suffered a similar state.
I put this story in my blog not merely to despair of the brevity of life or the looming proximity of death, but simply to related a sobering incident that will be with me for some time. I will eventually put up a picture when I figure out how to get them off my camera.
Sorry, papa
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