15,000 endangered sea turtles nest in Nicaragua

Managua, Oct 1 (IANS/EFE) Almost 15,000 endangered sea turtles are nesting in La Flor Wildlife Refuge on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, officials said.

Their arrival began Thursday night when 1,860 came ashore.

The marine reptiles are presently making nests to lay their eggs in this natural reserve that stretches some 1,100 metres along the coastline, Environment and Natural Resources Ministry area representative Mario Rodriguez said.

On Friday night 12,309 sea turtles arrived to deposit their eggs at the coastal reserve, the official said.

It is expected that more than 40,000 will arrive between September and October at La Flor Wildlife Refuge. Last year during this time, 38,191 sea turtles showed up at the reserve, Rodriguez said.

During the July 2012-January 2013 season, 184,590 turtles came to La Flor to nest on this Pacific coast beach.

Five species of sea turtles -- the hawksbill, the leatherback, the loggerhead, the olive ridley, and the green sea turtle reproduce on Nicaraguan beaches. All are in danger of extinction due to a number of reasons.

Nicaragua's most important sea turtle sanctuaries are the wildlife reserves of La Flor and Chacocente on the Pacific coast and the natural reserves of Juan Venado Island, Cosiguina Volcano and Padre Ramos Estuary.