North Island / Day 3-4

Hello dear ones, during our patrol yesterday morning we found a total of 4 tracks and two nests of Green Turtles. That's a lot for this time of year, as it should start to slow down now, as the season for the second sea turtle species in the Seychelles, the Hawksbill Turtle, begins in September. But apparently the Green Turtle has not laid all of its eggs yet.

After we removed some weeds yesterday afternoon, we then did the more exciting activity: we relocated a nest of Giant Tortoises. The turtle had dug its nest in a very unfavorable place, so we wanted to move the nest to a safer place. For this, we carefully dug out the eggs (fortunately the holes here are not as deep as those of the sea turtles) and painted a small dot on the top of the egg. This is because a small bubble forms inside the eggs, which is always on top. So if we don't put the egg back into the new nest with the air bubble facing upwards, the embryo cannot develop into a turtle. After we marked and removed all the eggs (see photo), we dug a new hole in a safe place and put the eggs back in there. Finally, we filled the hole with moist soil. It takes about 4 months for the Giant Tortoises to hatch. Unfortunately, I won't be here to see them come out. But maybe a few of the sea turtles. :)

Fridays are always our day off here. That means I slept in :) In the afternoon, we took a short hike up the smallest of the three mountains on the island. From there, we had a great view of the island. It's really breathtaking how beautiful the island is!!!!

Tomorrow we have to get up again at 6 o'clock in the morning, so I'm going to sleep now.

Best regards from paradise.

Your Alex