Construction works endanger turtles on Algodoeiro. Obras na praia Algodoeiro pode trazer consequências

Ontem, dia 30 de Setembro, durante a época de desova, os responsáveis da construção do hotel Meliá Dunas Beach começaram a ocupação da praia que fica em frente ao hotel.  As obras representam a escavação de buracos de 4 metros quadrados e um quase 1 metro de profundidade com máquinas escavadoras pesadas.  Estes buracos encontram-se a uma distância de aproximadamente 27 metros da linha da maré alta, que é dentro de uma área declarada Área Protegida pelo Governo de Cabo Verde

Yesterday, September 30, during the turtle nesting season, those responsible for the construction of the Meliá Dunas Beach began construction works on the beach which is opposite the hotel. The works include digging meter deep and four square meters wide holes with heavy excavators. These holes are located at a distance of approximately 27 meters from the high tide line, which is within an area declared a Protected Area by the Government of Cape Verde. 

In the nesting zone, 27 meters from the sea

Sendo uma área importante de desova e encontrando-se ainda no fim da temporada de nidificação da Tartaruga Cabeçuda, os responsáveis da monitorização e proteção desta espécie (SOS Tartarugas, DGA and AP) nunca foram contatados pela construtora ou as autoridades responsáveis pelo licenciamento para verificar a presença de ninhos na área de intervenção.  

This beach is still an important nesting area and we are still in the loggerhead nesting season.  Those responsible for monitoring and protection of this species (SOS Tartarugas, DGA and AP) were not contacted by the builder or the authorities responsible for issuing permits about the presence of nests in this area.

A escavação na praia com o desconhecimento da situação dos ninhos pode ter consequências graves.  Remover a areia pode significar a destruição imprudente de ninhos duma espécie protegida nacional e internacionalmente.  Não só isso, os buracos permanecem descobertos durante noite e dia, fazendo com que qualquer tartaruga adulta possa cair pera dentro dos mesmos, enquanto procura um local ideal para a desova.  O mesmo pode acontecer com os filhotes, situação que aumentaria as probabilidades de ser predados por caranguejos ou cães.

This excavation of the beach without knowing the location of nests can have serious consequences. The removal of sand can mean the destruction of the nests of a national and internationally protected species. Not only that, but the holes remain uncovered during night and day, meaning an adult turtle could fall into the hole while looking for an place to nest. The same could happen with the hatchlings, a situation that would increase the odds of being preyed upon by crabs or dogs. 

Holes left open day and night.

Os promotores da construção do novo hotel, o “The Resort Group”, e os responsáveis das obras têm conhecimento e as informações necessárias sobre a desova da Tartaruga Cabeçuda e do seu estado de proteção em toda a ilha e, mais especificamente, na praia de Algodoeiro.

The developers, The Resort Group, and the construction company have full knowledge and information about the nesting of loggerheads and their state of protection across the island and more specifically, on Algodoeiro beach.

ADTMA – SOS Tartarugas tem questionado as autoridades ambientais sobre a existência de licenciamento para levar a cabo estas obras na praia durante a época de desova.  Se essa licença existe, as autoridades competentes deviam ter restringido a época de construção e obrigar a construtora a informar-se sobre o estado da desova nessa área.  

ADTMA – SOS Tartarugas have asked the environmental authorities about the existence of a license to carry out these works on the beach during the nesting season. If such license exists, it is our belief that the authorities should have restricted the time of construction (i.e. AFTER the nesting and hatching season) and require the contractor to enquire about the status of nests in this area. 

SOS Tartarugas fica sempre disponível para informar e aconselhar aos promotores sobre as atividades relacionadas com o estado da desova da Tartaruga Cabeçuda e a legislação existente que tem como objetivo a proteção desta espécie, assim como as regulamentações sobre as Áreas Protegidas.

SOS Tartarugas is always available to advise developers on activities that can affect nesting turtles, the existing legislation which aims to protect this species, as well as regulations regarding the Protected Areas. 

Só duas dias antes do início da ocupação da praia, foi encontrado um ninho eclodido na área, e durante a noite do dia 30 de Setembro uma tartaruga desovou apenas 10 metros afastada do que, posteriormente, passou a ser caminho para escavadoras pesadas.

Only two days before the construction began we found a hatched nest in the area, and during the night of September 30 a turtle spawned only 10 meters away from where the heavy excavators had been digging.

 

A nest only ten meters from the open holes

Turtle tagged in Cabo Verde killed in Senegal / Tartaruga Cabo-verdiana morta no Senegal

The sad news reached us last week that a turtle who nested here on Sal last year was killed by fishermen in Senegal.  Peace Corps Volunteer, Brian Harris was walking on the beach when he came across the fishermen.  He says “I have been living in Malika for almost a year and when I was running on a beach about four kilometres from  my apartment I came across some men who were gutting a turtle. I spoke to them in Wolof (the local language) and they told me that one of them had caught it in his net and dragged it in. The turtle was already dismembered by the time I got to it and they showed me it's various parts. The head, the shell and the body. They showed me these skinny silver tags that I quickly noticed said University of Gainesville Florida, which had stuck out to me because I have family with ties to the university. The men must have noticed my astonishment at the tags and quickly demanded them back. I told them that these were not worth anything but were only for research, colloquially said in Wolof as "studying". They grabbed the tags from me and told me that this was the turtle’s proof of life. I did not understand the significance of this and may have lost something in translation. I asked what they had planned to do with the head and shell. One of them proceeded to tell me that he was an artisan, making Djembes and elephant sculptures. He had planned to clean up the shell and make the head into a lamp. He told me a story of a rich man who paid handsomely for a turtle shell and head. “

Brian told us that some days later he saw the head on sale in a market in Dakar.

We tag the turtles we encounter nesting in order to understand their nesting patterns, growth rates and other useful information and we also give them names.  This turtle was called Soniso and was named by Artur Lopes and Lissa Soares, the two members of our team who saw her nesting on the 22^nd July 2013.  The turtle nested a further two times that year.

It is really disheartening to know that despite all our efforts to protect the turtles here in Cabo Verde, there are still many hazards that have to be faced during their migration and while they are feeding off the west coast of Africa.

This story reinforces the need for worldwide protection in all habitats, land and sea and collaboration with turtle protection groups in other countries.

A triste notícia de que uma tartaruga que desovou aqui no Sal, no ano passado, foi morta por pescadores no Senegal, chegou-nos na semana passada. O Voluntário do Corpo da Paz, Brian Harris estava a caminhar na praia quando se deparou com os pescadores. Ele diz: "Eu tenho vivido em Malika por quase um ano, e quando estava a correr em uma praia a cerca de quatro quilômetros do meu apartamento me deparei com alguns homens que estavam a desventrar uma tartaruga. Falei com eles em Wolof (a língua local) e disseram-me que um deles pegou-o em sua rede e arrastou-a dentro. A tartaruga já estava desmembrada quando cheguei a ela e mostraram-me as várias partes. A cabeça, a carapaça e o corpo. Eles me mostraram estas pequenas marcas prateadas que rapidamente percebi que dizia Universidade de Gainesville, Flórida, que tenho retido em mim porque eu tenho familiares com laços com a universidade. Os homens devem ter notado o meu espanto com as marcas metálicas e rapidamente exigiram-lhos de volta. Eu disse-lhes que não valiam nada, mas eram apenas para pesquisa, coloquialmente dito em Wolof "estudar". Pegaram as marcas e disseram-me que esta era a prova de vida da tartaruga. Eu não entendi o significado disso e posso ter perdido algo na tradução. Eu perguntei o que tinham planejado fazer com a cabeça e a carapaça. Um deles começou a dizer que era um artesão, fazendo Djembe’s e esculturas de elefantes. Ele havia planejado limpar o casco e fazer da cabeça uma lâmpada. Ele me contou uma história de um homem rico que pagou caro por uma carapaça de tartaruga e cabeça. "

Brian nos contou que alguns dias depois ele viu a cabeça à venda em um mercado em Dakar.

Nós marcamos as tartarugas que encontramos a desovar, a fim de entender seus padrões de nidificação, as taxas de crescimento e outras informações úteis, bem como atribuir-lhes nomes. Esta tartaruga foi chamada Soniso e foi nomeada por Artur Lopes e Lissa Soares, dois membros da nossa equipe, que viram sua nidificação no dia 22 de Julho de 2013. A tartaruga nidificou mais duas vezes esse ano.

É realmente desanimador saber que, apesar de todos os nossos esforços para proteger as tartarugas aqui em Cabo Verde, ainda existem muitos perigos que devem ser enfrentados durante a sua migração, e enquanto eles estão se alimentando ao largo da costa oeste de África.

Esta história reforça a necessidade de proteção do mundo selvagem em todos os habitats, terra e mar, e colaboração com grupos de proteção de tartarugas em outros países.

Multiple strandings of whales in Cabo Verde

Clique aqui para Português

On the morning of the 3^rd July we received a call alerting us to the fact that some whales had been seen on the beach at Parda, which is in the north of the island close to Pedra de Lume.  We contacted the team at our camp in nearby Ribeira de Tarrafe to go and assist them, but we had hardly finished talking to them before another call arrived – “Come quickly, bring as many people as you can – there are many whales on the beach at Kite Beach as well.”

Two whales swim on to the shore again     

© Diana Lin

The whole team dropped everything and raced from Santa Maria and from our camp on Costa Fragata and when we arrived, it was an incredible sight – so many people joined in this quest to save these poor creatures.

We estimated that there were twelve individuals, some adult and some juvenile.  In addition, at least two pregnant females were identified.  The species was Short Finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), a species that is common in the waters around Cabo Verde.  They can grow to an estimated 3,000kgs and 5.9m for males and for females 1,200kgs and 4m and feed predominantly on squid.  They are often seen in very large groups.  Although their common name is ‘whale’, they are, in fact, a member of the dolphin family.

The rescuers worked hard for almost eight hours, continually pushing the whales back into the sea and swimming with them, holding them upright until they could get past the very large waves and begin to swim away.  Unfortunately, several of them would swim some of the way out before heading straight back into the shore again.  Rescue attempts were further hampered by the rocky shoreline, which was causing danger for both the whales and their human helpers.

Strandings of pilot whales are not uncommon in Cabo Verde as can be seen from the historical picture below.  

Many other incidences can be found in this scientific paper.

Beached short finned pilot whales, Maio Island circa 1920s

In the last few years, there have been at least two other incidences of mass strandings.

In July 2010 42 individuals beached themselves in the Monte Leão area and unfortunately no rescue was mounted until it was too late and all the whales died.  At the same moment there was also a stranding on Santiago island.

A dead whale is removed for burial - Monte Leão

A line of dead whales at Monte Leão

In September 2012 around the same number were found to be on Ponta Sinó on the southern part of Sal.  Again a huge community effort resulted in those whales being successfully refloated and returned to the sea.  On the same day five whales also stranded on Boa Esperança in Boa Vista, which is opposite Ponta Sinó and separated by only 40km of sea.

Group of stranded whales Ponta Sinó Sal island September 2012

A young pilot whale

In this instance, all the whales were successfully refloated and the rescue was made much easier than the recent one because of the calmer conditions on the south part of Sal.

A group of rescuers push the whales out to sea

On Kite Beach, it was obvious that the whales were exhausted from being thrown around in the waves and had hurt themselves on the rocks, many were bleeding and unable to hold themselves upright.

In the past, strandings of whales have been looked upon as an opportunity for food but this practice gives rise to many health concerns from the local authorities and it is definitely discouraged.  Sadly, amongst all the rescuers present on the beach that day, one group decided to butcher a small whale in a particularly gruesome way while it was still alive.

Butchered whale Kite Beach Sal 3 July 2014

The reason why whales and dolphins strand themselves is poorly understood.  There are many theories, including that the animal may be old or sick, it could be infested with parasites or it simply becomes disoriented in shallow water.  Boat noise, rapid changes in water pressure from explosions, sonar or seismic testing may damage their very sensitive sinuses and ears.  This may prevent them from diving as well as leading to navigational errors.  Some theories include the desire to commit suicide but this cannot be considered since there is no way to establish that the animals plan their own death.

The community works together  © Onda Kriolu

Strong social bonds may result in mass strandings, with healthy animals unable to desert those that are on the beach.

In most cases in Cabo Verde, the animals have been quickly removed and buried, with no chance to analyse possible reasons, this has led to some conspiracy theories including covering up military activities in the area.  One of the sonar systems thought to be used by US and NATO forces creates an amplitude of 240 decibels – enough to kill whales and dolphins and a proven cause of mass strandings.

On further analysis it transpires that two pilot whales stranded on the west coast of Sal only one week before

Link to television report

And two pilot whales stranded and died on Santa Luzia island two days prior, only a short distance from Sal.

Looking specifically at events in the area during this time, two seismic surveys can be found, one of them only 420km away.  Evidence is mounting that this type of survey is strongly linked with mass strandings.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130925132211.htm

Map showing seismic surveys in the area at the time of the strandings.

 Thanks to Stranded No More for the information.

In the end, thanks to an incredible effort from many people, all the pilot whales in the Kite Beach area were returned to the sea.  Unfortunately the five reported further north all died.  The most daring rescue of all and the one that demonstrates the commitment of all involved, was the transportation of the final two whales in the back of a pick up truck from Costa Fragata to the calmer shore of Praia Antonio Sousa in the south.  The two whales were lifted out of the water, moved away from the dangerous rocks and picked up and put into the pick up.  Sheer strength and determination overcame tiredness and despair and there were many tears of joy as the whales finally swam away into open ocean.

© Giada Borghi

Congratulations to everyone involved in the events of this very dramatic day.

More photos here

Video here