Five loggerhead turtles released in Benalmádena a year since eggs were laid on a Marbella beach

It was just over a year ago, specifically in July 2023, when a person walking with his dog along El Rodeíto beach in Marbella alerted 112 of the presence of a female Caretta Caretta, or in other words, a loggerhead turtle. When the specialists arrived in the area they realised that 69 eggs had been laid there. They then began an operation on different scales and in different municipalities to ensure, first, that these hatchlings hatched, and later, that they survived until they were big enough and strong enough to live in their natural habitat: the sea.

To begin with, during 49 days of incubation, personnel from the regional ministry of the environment and volunteers from the ProDunas association monitored the nest where 60 eggs remained. The remaining nine eggs were transferred to the Bioparc facilities in Fuengirola for artificial incubation, based on the procedure recommended within the national sea turtle nesting strategy with the aim of ensuring the hatching of a percentage of the clutch, should any problem occur on the beach. Eight eggs were finally hatched there.

The hatchlings were transferred to the CEGMA centre in Algeciras, where they have remained during their first year of life, and in May, the Seville aquarium began its collaboration with the care of 15 turtles. Something similar happened in Selwo Marina, in Benalmádena, which last July took charge of another five turtles, for which it built special facilities, where they have lived for the last month and a half, until they reached the necessary size to be released, and while waiting for the sea temperature to rise.

These five specimens in Benalmádena were released Monday (5 August) on the beach next to El Bil-Bil castle. They were the last ones to be released from the hatching that took place in El Rodeíto de Marbella, as 49 other specimens were released on a beach in Marbella in July.

The event was attended by various authorities, including the Mayor of Benalmádena, Juan Antonio Lara, and the territorial delegate of sustainability, environment and blue economy of the Junta de Andalucía in Malaga, José Antonio Víquez, as well as representatives of Selwo Marina. The delegate highlighted the joint work between institutions and "the public-private collaboration to successfully protect these specimens, allowing 91 per cent of the hatched eggs to survive through the process known as headstarting".

This technique implies that, once the eggs hatch, the turtle hatchlings are cared for and protected for a year to guarantee their survival once they are released into the wild. "Throughout this process, the hatchlings are cared for so that they reach the right size for release and thus have sufficient capacity to survive in the wild. Thanks to headstarting we manage to increase the marine biodiversity of our coasts," said Víquez.

"Enjoying a show like today's in Benalmádena, with the release of five loggerhead turtles on our beaches, has been a privilege, so we thank you for counting on our town for this type of activity," Lara added.

"It's sad, because at the end of the day they are animals we have spent a lot of time with, we have dedicated a lot of effort, and it's hard to say goodbye, but in reality, rather than sadness, what you feel is emotion, a beautiful emotion of being part of something very important. It's so important for animal welfare and for the planet: it's very exciting", said Laura Campoy, from the Selwo Marina conservation team.

It should be remembered that the eggs found on the beaches of Marbella is the fourth known in Andalucía in the last 15 years, although this phenomenon is growing, as in 2023 alone, 23 Caretta Caretta turtle nests have been recorded on the Spanish Mediterranean coast.

This increase is an exceptional occurrence as this species is protected by environmental legislation and until now had been present on the Spanish coast only in its juvenile phase and returned to its beaches of origin for breeding, mainly located on the American coast.

In recent years, the Spanish Mediterranean coast has been colonised by this emblematic species for breeding purposes, which is why the environmental authorities are making every effort to ensure the greatest possible success of these nestings.