Campers, four-wheel drivers, visitors and locals alike have all been urged to practise extreme caution at a major east coast beach in the coming days, with thousands of endangered turtle hatchlings soon set to make the journey from the safety of their nests out to the sea.
Teewah Beach, near Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, is known for its pristine shoreline, popularity with travellers and, for being the spot of choice among both green and loggerhead turtles to lay their eggs.
Jan Waters from Cooloola Coast Turtle Care encouraged all visitors to the area to avoid taking their cars onto the sand at night, and to only drive two hours before or after low-tide. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Waters said by using the hard wet sand, drivers will leave no tyre ruts — which typically run about 25 centimetres deep.
It’s enough to trap a hatchling in the dip, where it’ll likely die from becoming stranded. With hatchlings facing enormous challenges as they migrate from sand to sea, Waters said people should make a concerted effort not to become another one.
When the young hatch, there are often hundreds per nest heading to the ocean but they often get stuck in the four-wheel drive ruts and perish. Source: Supplied
Beachgoers urged to steer clear as critical turtle event takes places
On average, only one in 1,000 hatchlings are estimated to survive the journey from the nest to adulthood, with Teewah Beach, like many other nesting sites in Australia, playing host to a range of natural predators such as ghost crabs, seagulls, and fish that target the babies during their journey.
“The hatchlings have to cross the deep 4WD tracks to reach the ocean [and] the tracks, created … on the beach close to the dunes at high tide, are 25cm deep and 25cm wide,” Waters told Yahoo. “The small hatchlings are only five centimetres, and once they’re caught in the tracks, they will most likely perish.”
“At the moment, we are asking for cooperation from the many 4WD visitors to our unique area to help the turtles.”
Turtle nests hatch when the temperature in the nest cools, usually between 6pm to 10pm, Waters said. “A nest will have about 100 eggs. Hatchlings emerge all together — called an eruption,” she explained.
“If you’re lucky enough to see hatchlings, clear a path over the deep tracks (if needed). Don’t handle the hatchlings. Turn off all visible lights. Mobile phone lights too. Torch light can easily disorient hatchlings hindering their race to the ocean.”
Just days ago, wild footage of a driver in a ute speeding past a line of travelling vehicles while towing a jet ski at Teewah Beach was criticised by police. The driver was in such a rush, they risked travelling on the soft sand which ultimately the vehicle bogged and in need of rescuing.
A ute was spotted speeding along the soft sand at Teewah Beach. Source: Sunshine Coast News
Police have flagged an alarming number of drivers don’t seem to apply road rules when they cruise along the beach, with hundreds of penalties handed out for offences such as speeding, mobile phone use and drink driving.
Not only does dangerous driving along Teewah put drivers and passengers’ lives at risk, but it can also have devastating impacts on two endangered species of turtle that use the dunes for nesting.
The Cooloola Coast welcomes upwards of 30 nesting females, and the area is “crucial” for the survival of the species, but the increase in 4WD activity and dangerous driving is causing concern.
“It’s not only detrimental to the wildlife, but also just to the environment because they’re doing tremendous damage,” Waters said.
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