Less than 100 years ago, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles made tens of thousands of nests along the Mexican coast annually. Today, they are the most endangered sea turtles in the world, with about 1,000 nesting females worldwide. Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) is their primary nesting beach in the U.S., as seen in this video.
The females come ashore at PINS from March to July and lay about 100 eggs each. To protect them, the eggs are collected and incubated until they start to hatch. Then the hatchlings are brought back to the beach and released, where they make a mad dash for the Gulf. It’s quite a sight, and you’re welcome to witness the release of these tiny turtles. For information, call the Hatchling Hotline at (361)-949-7163.
After many years of effort, the endangered turtles' numbers are slowly increasing. So the work continues. Recently, Gulf Spill Restoration funds have been earmarked for the recovery of sea turtles in the Gulf. You can also help – if you ever see a sea turtle on a Texas beach, please call and report it at 866-TURTLE-5.
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