Loggerhead turtles born in most northern spot ever recorded

Eggs laid on a sandy beach in northern Italy by a loggerhead sea turtle, or Caretta Caretta, have hatched in what scientists describe as an “exceptional” event possibly brought on by global heating.

This is the first time that the hatching of Caretta Caretta sea turtle eggs had been recorded along the northern Adriatic coast.

Nine sea turtles were born on Wednesday night on the beach in Jesolo, which is a popular seaside resort close to Venice.

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Also, this is where their mother had deposited 82 eggs, about 25 metres from the sea, overnight on 9 July.

“This is the most northern nesting spot in the world, a truly peculiar geographical location,” Sandro Mazzariol, a professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Padua and coordinator for Cert, an emergency response team for marine animals, told La Repubblica.

In order to protect the turtles, a protective barrier had been put up around the nest. There were also volunteers from animal rights groups who kept vigil day and night.

Diego Cattarossi, the scientific director of the Tropicarium zoological park in Jesolo, told the local newspaper, Il Mattino di Padova, "The instinctive walk towards the sea is fundamental for the species because it helps them to memorise where the beach is, allowing the females to return to lay their eggs where they were born."

This was in context to a protective path of sand which was created to enable the reptiles to walk towards the sea.