THE KAPTAN JUNE
WHY SEA TURTLES
SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
Why Sea Turtles? Why protection? Why Dalyan? Why Foundation?
So many questions, so many needs…
Why Sea Turtles?
The Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean is a marine reptile of about 100cm carapace and ~ 80kg weight when adult. Their lifespan is up to 65 years and they mature between their 17. and 30. year. They mate in shallow waters in front of sandy beaches where, during April – June, they go to lay their eggs which are buried in the sand and which in due course are hatched. The hatchlings have to get to the sea, to which they are attracted by the glittering of moon and stars. If they do not make it before the sun comes up, they dry out and/or are eaten by predators. Every female Loggerhead, when mature, comes back to the beach at which they were hatched to lay their eggs. (More about the Loggerhead Turtle see links below)
The sea turtle is an extremely popular species, not just the Loggerhead. The threats to them affect and concern many people. The Mediterranean Loggerhead Sea Turtle has been around for more than 95,000 years but its future is bleak. It needs solicitors and advocates. It needs caretakers. It needs people who love them…
More than 30 years ago “Kaptan” June, as she is respectfully and lovingly called by the people of Dalyan, set her foot on of the main sea turtle breeding beaches in Turkey and was intrigued by the “tank like tracks” she saw on this long spit of sand in front of the Dalyan Delta. Discovering their origin, watching her first Loggerhead laying eggs and falling in love with this rather ungainly, old worldly and so vulnerable creature all happened in a flash. The fight she and her friends and supporters put up against the degradation of the Loggerhead’s habitat – plans were already in place to construct a hotel complex on the beach – is described in her book “Kaptan June and the Turtles” (Inkilap, 2006) .
Why protection?
Threats to the loggerheads are manifold:
- They are caught in nets and fishing lines and are attacked by fishermen to prevent this happening…
- In some places, they are killed for their meat; in others, people make cradles and other handcraft products from their carapace…
- They can be seriously injured or killed by boat propellers…
- The eggs are dug out by predators like foxes, jackals, feral cats etc…
- Their hatchlings are threatened by the sun, by gulls and by other predators, including humans if they’re disturbed during the hatching period…
- Their habitats are destroyed and their nesting beaches degraded by development of nesting beaches and increased human activity on the beach…
- They can swallow plastic bags, thinking that they’re eating jelly fish, and in some places are fed inappropriately by people on organised “Turtle Spotting” tours
More about threats to Caretta caretta
Why Kaptan June Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation?
Seeing more and more touristic development and less and less love of nature, Kaptan June, together with friends and supporters well versed in nature conservation and other necessary skills, founded the Kaptan June Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation.
These supporters and well-wishers actively monitor not only the sea turtle but also its nesting ground – in this case, Iztuzu Beach. The future of the turtle is reliant on the ongoing future of its nesting ground.
Kaptan June is deeply grateful to everyone who helped in the campaign to protect the beach, in particular the Turkish Government who in 1988 declard the beach and delta a European Protection Area.
Why Dalyan?
Whilst Dalyan is one of the main breeding beaches in Turkey, there are others along the Mediterranean coast including most importantly Zakynthos in Greece and some beaches in Libya. The Dalyan Delta has the ideal conditions for the Loggerehads – a long delta spit, fine dry sand, shallow water to mate and to give the hatchlings a chance to actually survive.
We think that everybody should first “sweep their own doorstep” and Kaptan June has, together with the help of many supporters and environmentalists, laid a good base for the turtle’s protection. But, the work goes on all the time…
The following links about the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) we found informative: