Endangered Species

Got to touch an endangered species today, the hawksbill turtle.  4^th most endangered species on the planet. 

An early breakfast of watermelon and breadfruit, plus buns and cake for Oscar.  Still haven’t worked out how to use the toaster, but at least we haven’t burnt anything.  A bus ride out of town, up the big hill. It's a steep hill, the vehicles stop at the bottom, and put the engine in First Gear, and it is a slow, slow climb to the top.  

Moso Island

Havannah Bay has several islands dotted around, and we are going to Moso Island for the day.

In WW2, the Americans had 200 ships based in Havannah Bay.  Saw lots of Cyclone Pam damage to trees and housing on journey.  The road had been washed away in a number of places.  Containers are on the side of the road for shelter.  Saw several children doing their families laundry in streams.

Took the Coongoola, a sailboat, to Moso Island (Tranquility Island).  There is a volunteer Turtle sanctuary based here, with about 200 tiny turtles.   

They raise the turtles from hatchlings, until they are about 30cm long. (about a year)  Then they are tagged and released.  That way, the turtles have a 80% chance of survival in the wild, compared to 2%.  Very similar to the NZ Kiwi recovery programme.  So far 1200 healthy Hawksbills have been released.

We all got to spend time with the turtles.  Very special day.

Hawksbill Turtles are considered critically endangered, meaning the species faces a very high risk of total extinction. 

 

The first year of their lives is the most perilous, many get snatched by hungry predators before even touching the ocean. 

 

 

Humans, however, are the greatest threat. Plastic waste chocking our oceans; unsustainable fishing methods; propeller-damage from speedboats, jet skis, and vessels, are amongst the key killers of sea turtles.

Not only are they considered the most endangered species of turtle, Hawksbills rank as the 4^th most endangered species on the planet according to the WWF, behind the Amur Leopard, the Black Rhino, and the Cross-River Gorilla.