Endangered turtle eggs to be rescued

The world’s largest hard-shelled turtle has been announced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to be under threat from the continued oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. The Loggerhead turtle, whose nests litter the surrounding area of the spill, will have to be gathered and relocated in order to prevent a generational wipe-out. Critically, however, time is of the essence for the rescue team as the nests will have to be collected quickly – at the point in the incubation cycle where potential egg loss is least probable – in order for the program to have much impact. Captured nests are to be transfered to a climate-controlled location on the east central coast of Florida, before hatched turtles being released onto the surrounding beaches.