Hatchling sea turtles are being disoriented at a high rate this year.
According to Bruce Drye, a St. George Island Volunteer Turtler, there have been 57 sea turtle nests hatch on St. George Island so far this year, but of the 57 nests, 27 nests have been disoriented by man-made lights.
Sea turtles use the moon to crawl from their nest to the Gulf of Mexico; man made lights lead them away from the safety of the gulf to areas where they can die from exposure or from being eaten by predators.
Hatchling turtles have been found this summer in lighted swimming pools, under unshielded light fixtures, under houses, and wandering on the beach in front of commercial businesses.
In some instances, coyotes have found the hatchlings wandering on the beach, away from the water, and have eaten them.
Some of the disorientations are because of a higher than usual number of turtle nests laid earlier than usual this season, causing more nests to hatch during the height of the tourist season, when more lights are on.
There are also more nests in busy places where unshielded lights are more visible.
If you are staying near the beach this summer – it is important to keep outside lights off as much as possible.
Many people are using yellow bug light bulbs thinking they may be a permanent fix but sa turtlers say that’s not the case.
Yellow bug light bulbs neither prevent hatchling disorientation nor are they the frequency of light least seen by wildlife.
Remember if you find any disoriented baby turtles where they should likely not be – contact the “Sea Turtles at Risk” group at 927-2103.
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