Despite pleas to Public Works and Government officials in Cayman Brac protesting brightly lit Public Beach, it became a tragic scene for 133 baby Loggerhead Turtles emerging from their nest on Sunday morning.

In the early morning hours, a local resident happened upon the carnage whilst on her daily bicycling.  Fortunately, Lorraine Theoret happens to belong to the Brac’s Turtle Patrol team who daily monitor the known nesting areas during season for fresh signs of turtle nests or hatchling emergences.  With her training, she quickly returned home to collect her visiting daughter and notify the Turtle Patrol network.  Members dispatched immediately to the area for aid in collecting the

dead, dying and lucky to be alive.

Bonnie Scott-Edwards and her husband Gene arrived to excavate the nest site for inventory and access the damage.   During the exploratory dig, four surviving baby Loggerhead turtles were found.  These four, along with the other live ones found wandering, will be released at dusk by their nest site to better their chances on a successful swim for life.  Under darkness, most of the predatory fish and birds will not be around to molest or eat them.

Light Pollution has been a constant issue raising the mortality rate of all species of turtles throughout the islands and

globally.  Phone calls and personal pleas have gone unheeded by Public Works and local officials responsible for Public Beach maintenance.  One patroller was able to access the control panel, when the Department of Environment officer showed her where the access to the lighting controls was.  She was told it is normally locked.  After being able to shut down the bright lights, she returned the next evening to find the panel locked, inaccessible and the lights were once again turned on.

Cayman Brac has always boasted beautiful clear night skies until after the reconstruction efforts from Hurricane Paloma.   For such a small population, especially on the South Side of Cayman Brac such needs for lighting seem unfounded.

Beachfront homeowners unaware of nesting turtles in their backyard can unintentionally send hatchlings to their deaths due to illuminated areas facing the sea.  Any such resident suspecting or wondering if their area is in potential nesting zones can contact the Department of Environment 926-0136/938-6378 to evaluate, confirm or deny a suspected nesting site.

Mrs. Scott-Edwards made mention that this particular nest seemed to have a ‘mark of doom’.  During the monitoring of the nest, several times vehicular tire tracks were found over or in very close proximity of the nest.  Customs agents searching shorelines for drug discharges and local residents joy riding on the beaches at night pose another significant threat to the eggs during their incubation period.  She said, ‘We really weren’t sure we’d see any hatchlings produced from this nest’.

A local marketing firm recently donated business cards with the D. o E. Hotline phone number to report any adult or baby turtle sightings or suspicious activities that would suggest molestation or poaching of turtles or eggs.   These cards will be available to the public soon for contact and educational information.