Formentera activates action protocol following tortoise sighting

foto 2022vi tortugaLast night the Consell de Formentera activated the protocol for tortoise sightings as a Caretta caretta tortoise attempted to lay eggs on Platja Migjorn. Under the protocol and instructions from technicians at the Wildlife Recovery Consortium of the Balearic Islands (Consorci per a la Recuperació de la Fauna de les Illes Balears, COFIB), technical staff from the Formentera Office of Environment and Beach Lifeguard and Rescue Service cordoned off the area. This morning COFIB staff will visit the island to check if there are eggs in the nests which the tortoise built into the early morning.

At 9.30pm, an off-duty lifeguard called 112 after catching sight of the tortoise as it approached the area. Through the night, technicians from COFIB and Ses Salines Nature Reserve remained on hand to surveil and safeguard the site.

If spotted, the tortoise must be left alone. Passers-by must also refrain from turning on lights, filming or coming within 10 metres of the animal, and are asked to call 112 immediately if more are seen. Last summer one tortoise on our island was frightened away after an individual approached the animal and filmed it as it tried to nest.

21 June 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera