There were two forms of wildlife I was eager to see when I landed in Costa Rica; Sloths and Turtles. Both sightings bought me close to tears.
We’ll start with the turtles. I went to see them laying eggs on the beaches of Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast. We had to go at night, and were briefed before heading to the beach, no lights and no cameras. The leatherback turtles that we were hoping to get a sighting off would come to the beach in a trance, which could easily be broken if we used white lights. Should this happen, the turtles would panic, and swim back in the sea, whilst still laying their eggs, leaving them to be eaten by fish and birds. We sat silently, and were ushered over to where a turtle was beginning to dig her nest. She had no notion of our presence and went about her business with a sluggish repetitiveness. Funnily enough, the turtle wardens spend most of their time directing turtles to new nesting patches. It seems turtles are rather lazy, and if they see a nest they will go straight to it, sometimes laying over other eggs, sometimes pushing other laying turtles off their nest, to save them the hassle of making their own! As we watched in awe as over 180 eggs plopped satisfyingly from turtle number 1, turtle number 2 tried to take over and we had to beckon it away to start digging its own nest somewhere else. Once our turtle was worn out from laying it began to slowly and methodically cover its babies with sand. The eggs were soft and squishy, like gooey soft boiled eggs, the size of ping pong balls. It was imperative she covered them well, and if she became too tired, the wardens would finish her nest for her, enabling the safety of the hatchlings. Eventually, after about an hour of the process, she turned and headed back to the sea. Watching her edge her way down the sand was mesmerizing, she was so huge I could have ridden her! The group watched in silent awe as she left her tracks in the wet sand and reacquainted herself with the sea. It was such a peaceful, warming experience. Turtles are cool man!
We’ll start with the turtles. I went to see them laying eggs on the beaches of Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast. We had to go at night, and were briefed before heading to the beach, no lights and no cameras. The leatherback turtles that we were hoping to get a sighting off would come to the beach in a trance, which could easily be broken if we used white lights. Should this happen, the turtles would panic, and swim back in the sea, whilst still laying their eggs, leaving them to be eaten by fish and birds. We sat silently, and were ushered over to where a turtle was beginning to dig her nest. She had no notion of our presence and went about her business with a sluggish repetitiveness. Funnily enough, the turtle wardens spend most of their time directing turtles to new nesting patches. It seems turtles are rather lazy, and if they see a nest they will go straight to it, sometimes laying over other eggs, sometimes pushing other laying turtles off their nest, to save them the hassle of making their own! As we watched in awe as over 180 eggs plopped satisfyingly from turtle number 1, turtle number 2 tried to take over and we had to beckon it away to start digging its own nest somewhere else. Once our turtle was worn out from laying it began to slowly and methodically cover its babies with sand. The eggs were soft and squishy, like gooey soft boiled eggs, the size of ping pong balls. It was imperative she covered them well, and if she became too tired, the wardens would finish her nest for her, enabling the safety of the hatchlings. Eventually, after about an hour of the process, she turned and headed back to the sea. Watching her edge her way down the sand was mesmerizing, she was so huge I could have ridden her! The group watched in silent awe as she left her tracks in the wet sand and reacquainted herself with the sea. It was such a peaceful, warming experience. Turtles are cool man!
The sloths were a different story all together. Although also slow animals, sloths have a sort of inbuilt inquisitiveness and excitement that I wasn’t expecting. After seeing a video about Baby Sloth Wranglers, I was definite that I was visiting the sloth sanctuary.
I arrived a little late which meant I could only make the short tour, which also made it cheaper. I just wanted to see the baby sloths, and I did! We watched a video on sloths and their environment, and the terrible things that deforestation is doing to their environment. Many sloths are found electrocuted or burnt on the roadside after trying to use electric cables and wires to get across to areas of the forest that have been split up by new highways. Once their hands are burnt they cannot climb anymore which is their whole life, how they eat and survive in the wild. Many sloths at the sloth sanctuary will have to stay forever for this reason, whereas others that may have been previously kept by local families as pets, can be released back into the wild after observation and teaching activities. After the video we got to meet some of the residents, young and old, have a little cuddle and watch them play. If I were to be reincarnated I think I’d be a sloth. I don’t think I can do the whole turtle thing, swimming all those miles every year to lay a shit load of babies that you’re never going to see, and doing it every year for 100 years or more? Sloths are furry and playful and cute, and though I’m not sure how many babies they have, it can’t be that many?! Yeah, I’d be a sloth, plus I might even end up being the variety that looks like Chewbacca from Star Wars. That’d be pretty sick!
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