Mon Repos Beach - Heroes in a Half Shell

After dark we head off to Mon Repos beach, it is the most important Turtle Rookery in the southern hemisphere. The season runs from November to March with 3 types of turtle coming ashore to lay their eggs from Nov to Jan and then the eggs hatching from Jan to March. We arrive at the centre and wait to hear news that some hatchlings have been spotted. Thankfully we aren't waiting too long before we set off on the beach to see the turtles push their way through the sand and crawl down. It is a bit managed in that they catch all the little ones and put them into an enclosure and then take them round so we can see them but the little dudes need all the help they can get as they are very endangered. After we have all had a look then we form a line down to the sea and people with torches go into the middle and form a tunnel so that the turtles follow the lights to the sea. All the little dudes are set free and make the trip down to the beach and end up into the sea. Thankfully the annoying kids that were there manage to not tread on any of the hatchlings and we see them make it safe and sound. Even ones that have got caught up in the nest are given a hand. Afterwards the ranger analyses the nest and finds that 47 eggs hatched in the nest but 51 didn't - this is a low success rate as normally 80% of the eggs hatch.