A female loggerhead turtle was rescued from a swimming pool on Tuesday after being disoriented by artificial lighting during the passage of Tropical Storm Elsa overnight.
The Department of Environment, in a statement to the Cayman Compass, said the female loggerhead turtle was found in a swimming pool early Tuesday morning after she became disoriented by artificial lighting when coming up onto the beach to nest at some point overnight.
“Luckily she was rescued unharmed by resort staff, DoE’s Conservation Officers and Turtle Team volunteers and released back to the ocean. The DoE would like to thank all involved in the rescue,” it said in its statement.
The DoE, on its social media pages, shared the video of the large turtle being lifted out of the pool by conservation officers and turtle volunteers on Cayman Brac.
Watch the rescue below:
The Sister Islands experienced rough seas, some high winds and heavy rainfall as the storm passed through the Cayman area over the Constitution Day weekend.
The DoE said artificial lighting is an increasing threat for nesting females and hatchlings as they orient themselves towards the brightest lights, which in ideal circumstances is the light from the moon and the stars reflected off the surface of the ocean.
It said such incidents involving the turtles are common and the public should take precautions to ensure the animals’ safety.
“Sadly, this is not a rare occurrence and happens to nesting turtles and their hatchlings every year. If not found quickly, turtles can become exhausted and stressed, which can result in serious injury and death,” the DoE warned.
For anyone interested in turtle friendly lighting for beach front properties can reach out to DoE at [email protected].
To report incidents of turtle distress, call 916-4271.
DoE said it would prefer not to include the location of the incident as disorientation of sea turtles can occur on any property that does not have turtle friendly lighting.
“The important message here is we would like to encourage everyone on nesting beaches to transition to turtle friendly alternatives,” the DoE added.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to correct the word lightning to lighting in the opening paragraph. The typo is regretted.
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