Born in darkness, little hatchling turtles peak their heads out from underneath the sand, ready to trek from the dunes to the surf each year.
This miracle of life shares the beaches of Mackay, they are a part of the Mackay community – and it is everyone’s responsibility to protect them at all costs.
The season for turtle nesting begins around the middle of October, and hatchlings emerge all the way through until April, with the main species of Mackay turtles the Flatback – the most common, and the Green and Loggerhead turtles across most of the district’s beaches.
“Nesting mainly on our mainland beaches are the Flatback, who lay approximately 50 billiard ball size eggs,” Fay Griffin of Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association said.
Marine turtles are a protected species, and only authorised persons are permitted to handle them. It is an offence to interfere with these animals, so if you are lucky enough to witness the hatchlings hustle, make sure you stand clear of the nest.
Turn off your lights, including mobile phones – they can be disorienting – let them make their own way to the beach, unless they’ve lost their way and gone somewhere dangerous, like a carpark or roadway.
Picking up a turtle in a bucket of water is permitted in this case, and they should be immediately taken back to the beach and released again to make their own way back to the sea.
“You can get quite a crowd sometimes, and it’s best to be careful and make sure you’re letting them be,” Ms Griffin said.
Flapping their flippers, these little tikes leave imprints in the sand to remember where they hatched for when they themselves become parents three decades later.
Most little hatchlings emerge at night, so keeping the beaches nice and dark ensures that both nesting females and baby turtles are undisturbed.
Any hatching activity should be reported to Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, as well as Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association.
Only one in one thousand turtles survive to maturity, so make sure you’re giving our Mackay turtles the best chance of survival this hatching season.
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