A Ñ O 1 2 • N Ú M . 8 ¡ G R A T I S ! - La Regata

MedioambienteAño 2009, núm. 8 |11AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT...By Sylvia & William Burn / Live & Life in Palmasat PalmasIt was 7:00 PM and my husband and I were atthe Beach Bohío. The night was dark and thesea was silver when we suddenly felt the sandsparkling at us. Then... something came outof the water. It was really big! We realized itwas a Tinglar or Leatherback turtle. She wascoming out of the water looking for the placeto lay her eggs. This experience lasted until11:46 PM and it was spectacular, sensational,and absolutely extraordinary.She started to go around with her front legs;suddenly we noticed how with her rear legsshe was digging an immense hole in the sandto lay her eggs. After this initial ceremonythe Tinglar started to lay her eggs withoutany hurry. Then she started to cover andcompact the sand very carefully. Protectingthat way the future generation is somethingyou have to see to believe!It was just incredible; the size of the Tinglar,the depth of the nest, and the spectacle ofseeing her lay her eggs was just hallucinating.Then... as she came she left, discrete andin silence to the immensity of the sea thatwaited for her to come back. She simplydisappeared, leaving us astonished andwithout words. It was a gift of God, we werenot looking for her, she came to us... we werejust at the right place at the right time.Thinking back, she was so considerate withher offspring, she laid her eggs very close tothe beach so when they hatch, they couldquickly reach their real home, the ocean.We feel blessed! For us it was more than aprivilege, it was a spectacular experience, acommunion with nature… an unforgettablenight at Palmas del Mar.The Tinglar or Leatherback is the largestmarine turtle of our planet. AdultLeatherbacks could measure up to 7’ longand could weigh 1,400 pound. It is the onlymarine turtle that has a soft leathery shelland comes back to nest where she was born.Aclaración geográficaEl mes pasado publicamos un artículo sobre elproyecto de aerogeneradores que se proponeestablecer en terrenos aledaños al Bosque Seco deGuánica. En los calces de las fotos usadas, PuntaVentana y Punta Verraco fueron erróneamenteadjudicadas a Guánica cuando pertenecen aGuayanilla. Nuestras excusas a Xiomara, a JoséRaúl, y a los demás vecinos guayanillenses queescribieron a nuestra redacción. Gracias a todospor leer La Regata.Punta VentanaPunta Verraco