It was a walker who raised the alarm last weekend, after having discovered on a beach in the Atlantic Ocean near Lac Rose, north of Dakar, the carcass of a Loggerhead turtle, probably the victim of poachers . Loggerheads are sea turtles that are found in the oceans around the world. But they hadn't been seen in Senegal since 1996, said Youssef el Ali, president of the Oceanium, a Senegalese environmental NGO.
"When we saw the photos of this Caouanne, it was a surprise for everyone," he said. According to him, the turtle was killed by poachers for its meat and "perhaps also for traditional medicine". His eggs were also taken to be eaten, but the shell, "which is selling harder and harder," was left behind, he noted.
They reproduce at 20 or 30 years old
"It's really a shame," adds the owner of the Oceanium, stressing that these turtles, which live in the open sea, have a very low reproduction rate. “They do not reach sexual maturity until around 20 or 30 years old and the females only lay eggs every two or three years, and only three or four times during their life. For this, they return to their place of birth, ”adds Youssef el Ali.
🐢 Each year in Guyana, many turtles are found dead, caught in fishing nets.
▶ Recently, a very rare loggerhead turtle was the victim. The point with @ guyla1ere ⬇⬇⬇ pic.twitter.com/ayMG3BqK0R
His association deployed this Wednesday on the beach "three sentries", fishermen "who will scrutinize all night the possible arrival of other specimens of this species". "The water temperature rose 2 or 3 degrees, which may explain this early and unexpected arrival."
The beaches have been deserted
Another possible explanation is that these turtles are back because the beaches of Senegal have been deserted since the introduction in mid-April of a curfew to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, he says. If other spawning is noted in the coming weeks, the Oceanium plans, in agreement with the authorities, to move the eggs of Caouannes to the marine protected area of Joal-Fadiouth, south of Dakar, where they can hatch in peace.
Green and leatherback turtles, less endangered species, breed there regularly. "If the Caouannes are also born in a protected area, they can come back to lay eggs when they have reached their sexual maturity," hopes Youssef el Ali.
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