Punta Sur's turtle camp sent 3,705 hatchlings to the sea
By September 30 the Cozumel camp had protected 625 nests, most of them green turtles, and cleared more than 1,500 kilograms of trash off the beach.
Read the original
The reporting lives at NTCD. Our summary is checked against it, and we link it on every story.
The turtle camp at Punta Sur on Cozumel had protected 625 nests by September 30, 2026, and 3,705 hatchlings had reached the sea. NTCD reported the camp's own figures that day. Of the nests, 547 belonged to green turtles and 78 to loggerheads. Of the hatchlings, 2,965 were green and 740 were loggerhead. Beach cleanups at the camp removed 1,513.5 kilograms of waste.
Rafael Chacón Díaz, the park foundation's director of conservation and environmental education, presented the season so far. Technical coordinator Ricardo Peralta Muñoz said crews would still open finished nests in the coming weeks to count eggshells, and that the season was not over. The numbers will go to Quintana Roo's sea turtle committee and to the federal wildlife office at SEMARNAT. Juanita Alonso Marrufo, director general of the Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel, thanked staff and volunteers. These figures are only for the Punta Sur camp. They are not a total for every beach on the island.
For the classroom
A Cozumel park group reported that its Punta Sur turtle camp had protected 625 nests by September 30, 2026. Most were green turtles, and the rest were loggerheads. 3,705 hatchlings reached the sea. Volunteers also picked up more than 1,500 kilograms of trash from the beach. The nesting season was not finished, so more nests may still be counted.
- Why protect a nest instead of leaving every egg where it was laid?
- How does trash on a beach get in a hatchling's way?
- Why can the season's final number still change after September?
For a teacher to read with a class. Print the story of the day · All classroom stories
More good news
Other stories in the same neighborhood of kindness.
AnimalsA Puerto Vallarta turtle camp has released about 31,000 hatchlings this season
The Playa Holi camp, run with the city and RANA A.C., counted the releases from July 15 through October 21.
Verified · Vallarta Independiente
AnimalsThe first olive ridley hatchlings of the season emerged in Michoacán
At the Motín del Oro camp, in the community of El Coire, the season's first olive ridley hatchlings left the sand after a hard start of heat, dry sand, and storms.
Verified · MiMorelia
AnimalsFamous orca mother Tahlequah has a healthy new calf
The Center for Whale Research confirmed J65, a male calf born to J35, known as Tahlequah. He is nursing, socializing, and showing no signs of trouble.
Verified · KIRO 7