In Aydın, in western Türkiye, 48 baby turtles emerged from their nest on the beach and made their way to the sea.
According to a statement from the Association for the Protection of Ecosystems and Nature Lovers, the caretta caretta nest at Sevgi Beach in the Davutlar neighborhood was carefully opened under controlled conditions with contributions from professor Oğuz Türkozan, a faculty member of the Biology Department at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Adnan Menderes University.
The 48 hatchlings that emerged from the nest later reached the blue waters.
Local residents on the beach also recorded the moment the turtles met the sea on their mobile phones.
In the statement, the Association's President, Bahattin Sürücü, noted that although Aydın is outside the usual nesting areas for sea turtles, the number of nests has increased in recent years.
“This year, there were seven nests in Kuşadası and three in Didim. All nests were placed under protection through our collaboration with the National Parks Branch Directorate. The first hatchlings in Kuşadası have started emerging. A turtle laid 61 eggs in the Kuşadası nest and 48 hatchlings reached the sea. It was observed that 13 eggs were defective. The increasing number of nests each year is very important,” Sürücü said.
