First successful relocation of a sea turtle nest in Rhodes
During this year’s sea turtle nesting monitoring program in the southern part of our island, carried out in collaboration between the Rhodes Aquarium – Hydrobiological Station – HCMR and ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, the scientific staff of the HCMR – Institute of Oceanography at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research – HCMR, Vivian Louizidou and Konstantinos Kalaentzis, faced a special challenge.
On a beach in South Rhodes, a turtle laid her eggs very close to the sea—a situation that sometimes occurs and condemns the nest to certain destruction due to inevitable flooding during the two-month incubation period.
The management of Mojito Beach Bar immediately notified us, sending photographic evidence.
After careful evaluation, it was deemed necessary to urgently relocate the eggs
to a safe spot on the beach, farther from the sea.
The scientists from the Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes rushed to transfer the nest under the constant guidance of ARCHELON’s scientific coordinator, following the specialized training they had received earlier this summer as part of the Rhodes Hydrobiological Station – Aquarium and ARCHELON cooperation Program.
It should be noted that ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, is exclusively responsible for the protection of and any intervention in sea turtle nesting, applying a specific methodology.
We warmly thank Mojito Beach Bar for the prompt notification and their valuable assistance in the field throughout the nesting monitoring period, as well as our scientific collaborator from ARCHELON, Mr. Kostas Teneketzis, who is always by our side, even from afar!
The hatchlings are expected in early September!
Stay tuned by LIKING our page: Rhodes Aquarium – Hydrobiological Station – HCMR!
And of course, don’t forget:
If you spot tracks, an injured turtle, or hatchlings on the beach, please
notify us immediately in one of the following ways:
- By phone at 22410 27308 (09:00–20:00 DAILY) or 6952008130 (24/7)
- Through our Facebook page Rhodes Aquarium – Hydrobiological Station – HCMR or our profile Rhodes Aquarium
- By email at hsr@hcmr.gr
- At 210 5231342 (Monday–Friday, 09:30–17:30) – ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece
Sea turtles, their nests, and their hatchlings are protected under Greek and International Law.
With your cooperation, we can help preserve the species!
