Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
This man is about to welcome
some new members of a species that came dangerously close
to extinction.
Soon, thousands of baby Kemp's ridley turtles
will begin their journey into the Gulf of Mexico.
Tonight is a very important night
for the Kemp's ridley project.
"It is the beggest hatchling release in Tamilipas"
"since the project started back in 1966 as a Mexican project"
"and 1978 as a bi-national project."
About 240,000 hatchlings will be released by night's end.
[translation from Spanish] "I feel like I am very much a part"
"of this program and the turtles, each turtle"
"because I am watching them grow"
"like I would my own children."
"In 1947 they recorded on the very famous film"
"over 40,000 turtles nesting one day in June."
But years of egg poaching by human and animal predators
led to a drastic downward spiral for the Kemp's ridley.
Then in 1977,
Mexico declared these beaches a protected area.
In the decades since,
scientists, volunteers,
and even some shrimper groups from Texas and the United States
have joined to support the turtle recovery project
in Mexico.
"If you can have fisheries industries"
"from both countries working together"
"universities and NGOs from both countries working together"
"that's the key for conservation success."
"This is the key. That is the word: cooperation."
"Every year we have more nests and more hatchlings."
"And we couldn't do it without the support"
"from Texas Parks and Wildlife."
And the results are showing.
[translated from Spanish] "By seeing the large numbers"
"of baby turtles that are going to be released this evening"
"that demonstrates the number or the increase"
"of babies that are being born daily during this season."
This year, close to 11,000 nesting turtles
laid as many as 100 eggs each.
2000 of them arrived on one day in May.
But experts say they need at least 30,000 nesting females
in one year before the Kemp's ridley
can be taken off the Endangered Species List.
"We cannot look at"
"2000 turtles arribada in Rancho Nuevo on May 11"
"as, okay, that's it. Wow! We got it."
"The turtles recovered. Let's pack it up and go home. No."
"We have to reach a higher level of nesting."
"...bye-bye!"
For Texas Parks and Wildlife, this is Lydia Saldana.