The turtle that doesn’t like to sit on her new eggs
“Where’s the turtle, so? Why isn’t it sitting on her eggs? Has it gone down for a swim? Will it be back?”
These are the sort of questions that officers guarding the turtle’s 70-odd egg nest in Ġnejna Bay are being asked every day by people flocking in to the site.
The nest has been a major attraction since a loggerhead turtle lumbered on to the sandy beach on Wednesday night and, amid camera flashes and jubilant onlookers, laid her eggs two metres away from the water’s edge.
Several site visitors, however, are expressing their surprise and disappointment that the “mother” turtle is nowhere to be seen. “The turtle is not a hen, of course. It’s a reptile. It just lays the eggs and then goes back to the sea. There is no maternal instinct,” said Sylvan Pace, a Mepa environment inspector guarding the nest.
On Friday, the environment authority issued an emergency conservation order prohibiting activities such as barbeques, camping and loud music from taking place on the beach – all of which can disturb turtle eggs.
The officers, who are on a shift-based surveillance, appreciate the fact that on the whole, the public has been cooperating and the nearby kiosk is even carrying out manual beach cleaning. Although there have been instances of resistance, these were mainly due to “lack of information”.
On Sunday they even had to contend with the Doughnut van, which drove in to the beach, with his loud megaphone blurting out “Doughnuts friski u tajbin” (good and fresh). The inspectors rushed over to point out the turtle’s nest and he promptly obliged by lowering the volume. “The 24-hour protection is not just to ward off curious people but also potential animal threats such as dogs and cats,” said Darren Stevens, Environment Directorate.
People living in the nearby boat houses, looking forward to the barbecue season, were not too keen on the facilities set up for the turtle eggs.
“I don’t know why all this fuss and then look at that ... the public toilets are unattended,” said one.
After they were laid the eggs were relocated a few metres up the beach because they were too close to the sea.
“Turtles generally lay their eggs further up the shore,” Ms Camilleri pointed out. However, the mother turtle was probably intimidated by the presence of people on the beach, she said.
The down side is that moving the eggs increases the chances of some of them not hatching, said Mr Stevens.
“But had the eggs not been moved, they’d have been washed away,” he added.
Turtles have been a protected species since 1992 with a minimum fine of €476 for each turtle caught, although penalties can increase to include jail time depending on the seriousness of the offence.
Nature Trust and the Resources Ministry are currently planning how to manage the eventual hatching, which is expected in mid-August.
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37 Comments
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anthony sultana
Jun 29th 2012, 10:48
The not so smart government that we have now and the past,made our island look like careless people lives here.
Yosef Scerri
Jun 28th 2012, 07:19
SIT ON THEIR EGGS!!!! IF THEY WERE CHICKENS,YES.
SO THESE SO CALLED EXPERTS WHO MOVED THE EGGS BECAUSE THE TURTLE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SHE IS DOING, DONT KNOW THAT THEY LAY EGGS AND NATURE DOES THE REST!!!
COME ON....
James Tyrrell
Jun 28th 2012, 15:05
The questions were not being asked by 'so called experts' as you refer to them but by members of the public, probably children who have no idea of the process.
Joe Portelli
Jun 27th 2012, 20:40
Only In Malta - even if a lost turtle lands and lays eggs on the islands (a God given right) we argue .
What we do have is each other to argue with - others we would have a handicap - but we have each other so we are not aware of the handicap.
Mr Victor Borg
Jun 27th 2012, 17:40
Bulldoze the so--called boathouses, which are in fact illegal and dingy summertime huts that are a nuisance to nature and bathers, as well as a source of ugliness and pollution.
Mr Anton Portelli
Jun 27th 2012, 17:39
I wonder how much the security set up is going to cost the Maltese Tax payer!!!!!!!!
Wouldn't it have been safer and much cheaper for the taxpayer if the eggs were moved to San Lucian and hatched under controlled laboratory conditions. And may be MEPA could use the saved money to build some rubble walls and prevent some of our precious soil going to sea nex rainy season.
John Grech
Jun 27th 2012, 17:52
No it wouldn't. Turtles nest in their hatching site, and thus hatching them in controlled environment will mean that they will not return to Malta to nest when they become adults. However, leaving the eggs in the original nesting site ensures that any female hatchling that will reach maturity will come to nest in the same site, something of a great ecological importance for Malta.
Darren Bonnici
Jun 27th 2012, 17:18
The turtle just lay her eggs and go back to the sea and DOESN'T return to her nest.
C. J. Żahra
Jun 27th 2012, 16:41
The mentioned BOATHOUSES are simply caves acquired without any permission and to which a door was attached.
It's simple. They DON';T BELONG there and the turtles own it all.
Jonathan Vella
Jun 27th 2012, 16:36
If the squatters over at the boathouses would like to have pristine bathrooms I suggest that they go and live in their real homes rather than the illegal ones they built on public land.
Richard Galea
Jun 27th 2012, 15:38
I thought these boat owners are in love with marine life,.they need learning .
Charles Grixti
Jun 27th 2012, 14:08
Turtles do NOT lay on their eggs. They let the rays of the sun incubate the eggs.
James Tyrrell
Jun 27th 2012, 13:44
"People living in the nearby boat houses, looking forward to the barbecue season, were not too keen on the facilities set up for the turtle eggs."
Probably a silly question but why are people living in so called boat houses? Boat houses are for boats and if they are not being used for that purpose they should be bulldozed immediately. Why are this Government so afraid to apply the law to these people?
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Jun 27th 2012, 19:00
Votes, my dear mr Tyrrell, its simply votes.
James Tyrrell
Jun 28th 2012, 01:06
Surely Andrew the votes of the people who want rid of these damn holiday homes disguised as 'boat houses' are also important.
Barney Camilleri
Jun 27th 2012, 13:07
Wow! wow! wow!
Only in Malta! Two weights and two measures.
So turtle eggs had a good night sleep last night with no sound from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Would it not have been heaven to us humans if last night we took could enjoy a good night sleep too? I understand a good wide area of the island had to stick to loud music coming from Flornia.
I hope the did not wake up the eggs?
C Cassar
Jun 27th 2012, 23:10
Humans aren't in danger of extinction, turtles are. It's quite right that turtles are protected. You have a typical Maltese attitude to anything natural - kill it and get rid of it.
Ian Mamo
Jun 27th 2012, 13:00
People in those boathouses - Personal message - SHUT UP!!!!!
The turtle should be allowed to bait on your porches if they want to.
The big fuss about this all is that when MALTA is actually fighting over politics and colours, on the other hand we took this matter serious and acted in the most positive and up till now EFFECTIVE. THAT'S THE BIG FUSS.... I'm not even going into detail about those toilets.
Keith Muscat
Jun 27th 2012, 12:57
il-cowboys ta' Malta...jikkapparaw fejn iridu bla permess u minfuq isejħulu tagħhom!
X' tustaġni ta' nies!
Neil Zammit
Jun 27th 2012, 12:54
I think it is safe to say that this article is the funniest one this year!...From people wanting to see the turtle on the eggs like a hen to the unattended public toilets.... hilarious!!
Matthew Farrugia
Jun 27th 2012, 12:38
nature is so amazing... for more underwater images around malta visit www.matfar.co.uk/uw
Steve Zammit
Jun 27th 2012, 12:31
“I don’t know why all this fuss and then look at that ... the public toilets are unattended,” said one.
The owners of the boat houses should be proud that a Turtle nested at Gnejna for the first time in decades
instead they are more interested in their personal interests first and their BBQs
C Agius
Jun 27th 2012, 12:28
I was there on Saturday and the owners of the boathouses spent the whole afternoon shouting and signing on the tops of their voices... you can imagine the colour and varied expressions they managed to come up with using the noun "bajd". The stupidity and arrogance of these squatters was incredible.
Gnejna was looking and sounding like a proper clean beach for once, instead of some back street.
Joseph Aquilina
Jun 27th 2012, 12:00
“I don’t know why all this fuss and then look at that ... the public toilets are unattended,”
What will the owners of these boat houses do when next year or this same year they see another turtle coming to lay her eggs? Will they do what they are duty bound to do and report the fact to the responsible authorities? Or will they look after their personal interests (having a bbq on the beach) and ...
Reinhard Azzopardi
Jun 27th 2012, 11:52
The questions asked show the crass stupidity of the Maltese population towards anything living.
F. Azzopardi
Jun 27th 2012, 11:50
I was there on Sunday and have to compliment the driver of the doughnut van who immediately lowered the music of his van and was very eager to get to know more information about the turtle BUT i am very disappointed with the selfishness of the owners of the kiosks and the parker who are very angry because business it not as usual!
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Jun 27th 2012, 09:55
When ?
Probably around the feast of Santa Maria
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Jun 27th 2012, 09:49
Without going into scientific detail sex determination of reptile’s eggs is temperature sensitive
As a general rule ( for Turtles)
‘lower’ temperatures below 27 C MALES are produced
‘ higher’ temperatures higher than 30 C Female Turtles are produce
The reverse applies for reptiles such as Lizards and Crocodiles
Temperature and Hormones appear to have similar effects on sex determination – in reptiles.
Both hormones and temperatures appear to act on the sex determination genes.
meanwhile well done to all concerned
Dr Frank Portelli
James Dimech
Jun 27th 2012, 09:46
People living in boathouses were obviously not keen on the facilities set up to protect the eggs. They are also complaining that the toilet facilities are unattended.
Nistghu inkunu nafu kif iddubaw il-boathouses dawn in-nies. X'wicc vili !
Mario Ellul
Jun 27th 2012, 11:42
Exactly Mr Dimech! They themselves should not be there in the first place!!
F. Azzopardi
Jun 27th 2012, 11:51
Prosit, knock them down asap pls
S Muscat
Jun 27th 2012, 12:29
So true!!
Sean Azzopardi
Jun 27th 2012, 13:29
its probably because these boat houses were built and the beach was taken over that the turtles did not return again . It also comes to mind that there could have been many un reported cases in the past 50 years about turtles coming up on the beach to lay there eggs .
Laurence Muscat
Jun 27th 2012, 13:33
This is a never ending Saga, Boathouses all over our shores, arrogant people that steal the general public of prime locations and if you dare walk close to these stolen rooms, you get a nasty look or even a scratched car...
A Tonna
Jun 27th 2012, 13:41
We need the turtles to breed, given that the jelly fish are always increasing in number. But we don't need people living in boat house there and make the beach their own.
Ivan Calleja
Jun 27th 2012, 15:18
Naqbel 100%!! Minn tant nies dawn qed jifthu halqhom li f'xi zmien fil-passat kienu okkupaw l-art illegalment u bnew boathouse!!! Xi whud mill-boathouses huma perikoluzi ghax l-irdum bil-mod il-mod qed jaqa. Meta se nnaddfu il-bajjiet taghna minn dawn il-boathouses????
Joseph John Camilleri
Jun 27th 2012, 15:54
I assure you, you will get more votes if those boathouses and that shanty town in Ghadira and other places like them are bulldozed as was done to other illegalities. Some people have all the luck.
Please choose the reason of your report below: