ANTALYA
Loggerhead sea turtles also known as "caretta caretta" started appearing on Cirali and Olympos beaches of Turkey's southern resort city of Antalya.
Environmental protection officials place cages over the eggs laid by caretta carettas to protect them.
Bayram Kutle, president of Ulupinar Environmental Protection Association, stated that caretta carettas began laying their eggs as of mid June and it would go on until mid July.
There were 90 nests on the beaches of Cirali and Olympos last year and 55 were observed this year, Kutlu said, adding that they expected the number of nests to reach 100 and four to five thousand eggs to hatch.
"If a caretta caretta doesn't feel safe it won't get near the beach. Therefore, we protect our beaches so they can lay their eggs," he noted.
Reminding that there were tourists visiting Cirali and Olympos to witness caretta caretta eggs hatch, Kutle warned all citizens and tourists to avoid getting too close to the nests under protection and with flashlights and lighting a fire at the beaches at night.
Loggerhead sea turtles are classified as an endangered specie by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and measures are taken in Cirali and Olympos for the last 20 years for a safe environment for caretta carettas to lay their eggs and the hatched turtles to reach the sea.
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