The Magic of Mon Repos
I held my hand out in anticipation and the little turtle hatchling, held by its shell in the ranger's hands, gave me multiple high fives in quick succession as it paddled its flippers in the air. My son also held his hand out, quickly followed by a lady visiting with her grandkids.
It might seem a bit cruel to pick the hatchlings but, in this case, the rangers had good reason. The nest had been laid unusually high in the dunes, and transferring the hatchlings to a bucket and releasing them closer to the water's edge gave them a better chance at survival. Given that only about one in a thousand marine turtles makes it to maturity, they need all the help they can get.
We were taking part in a ranger-led turtle encounter tour at Mon Repos near Bundaberg in sunny Queensland. It was our third time doing the tour in as many years. On our earlier visits, we witnessed female turtles lay their eggs under the cover of darkness – and even helped relocate a clutch of eggs further up the beach, where they would be protected from tidal flooding and predators, behind a mesh fence.
