We are in Brazil where the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) witnessed the extraordinary event in recent days
Like rain after a long drought, like a hot meal after a cold winter's day. So a real one tsunami in tartarughand literally swept the banks of the South American Purus River, a tributary of the Amazon River, in Brazil. If this already sounds like good news, wait. The thousands of Arrau turtles (Podocnemis expansa) born along the river belong to one endangered species.
A beautiful Christmas present arrives a little early on the other side of the ocean. We are in Brazil where in recent days the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) witnessed an extraordinary event, also documented with photos and videos.
Tens of thousands of South American or Arrau giant tortoises hatch on a sandy beach in a protected area along the Rio Purus. A truly emotional moment that WCS itself has defined as a "turtle tsunami", which lasted for days. In just one day, about 71 babies were born, followed by another 21 in the following days.
It happened in the Reserva Biológica do Abufari (Abufari Biological Reserve), where the volunteers monitored the adult females and their nests before, during and after the birth of the young. WCS is studying the health conditions of baby turtles to help improve their management and protection. It is in fact an endangered species, severely affected by the traffic of meat and eggs.
©Stephen Sautner/WCS
“For the giant river turtle, birth is an explosion of life, but it is also the most fragile phase. In some areas, babies use mass birth to increase their survival. The synchronization of birth allows them to walk together in the river to start a new journey, ”said Camila Ferrara, specialist in aquatic turtles for WCS Brazil.
The South American giant river turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in Latin America, reaching a length of 1,07 meters and a weight of 90 kg. It plays an important ecological role by dispersing the seeds which ultimately help regenerate the vegetation along the river corridors.
©Stephen Sautner/WCS
Here the beautiful video:
A real tsunami of life, good luck little ones!
Sources of reference: Iucn, WCS
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