More Than 92,000 Giant River Turtles Hatch On Protected Brazil Beach
The good news in this bad year.
More than 92,000 river turtles were caught on cam hatching on a beach in a protected area.
The amazing incident happened along the Purus River, a tributary of the Amazon River in Brazil.
Over 92,000 giant river turtles hatched on a beach in a protected area along the Purus River and a video of the incident was shared on social media, where it is viral right now.
The WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), a non-governmental organization, shared the video of the Giant South American River Turtles emerging on the beach in Brazil.
TURTLE TSUNAMI! @TheWCS releases incredible footage of mass hatching of locally endangered turtle: https://t.co/apenzRSzxd pic.twitter.com/KhA1aQsNYc
— WCS Newsroom: #EarthStrong (@WCSNewsroom) December 14, 2020
According to conservationists from WCS Brazil, the mass emergence occurred over a couple of days.
On the first day, 71,000 hatchlings emerged and a couple of days later, 21,000 hatched again.
The incident happened at the Abufari Biological Reserve.
The WCS is currently studying the conditions for mass hatchlings in order to help improve the protection and management of the species.
River turtles are endangered species, but thanks to increased breeding programs and protection, their numbers are increasing.
Traffickers kill the turtles for their meat and eggs.
In Latin America, the giant South American River Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle.
They are also known as Arrau Turtles.