Sunset Royal Resort in Cancun Releases Baby Sea Turtles

CANCUN, MEXICO, September 07, 2010 (Press-News.org) Sunset Royal Resort's ongoing sea turtle conservation program kicked into high gear this week when more than 300 baby sea turtles were released into the sea in front of the resort.

The Sunset Royal Resort has rescued approximately 9,000 turtle eggs that rest in round, 16-to-20-inch deep holes in the warm, Caribbean sands behind the resort.

The official sea turtle season begins in May when hundreds of mature, female sea turtles crawl from the coastal waters of the Caribbean Sea onto the beaches of Sunset Royal Resort and the adjoining beaches to deposit between 50 and 200 eggs. The number of eggs laid depends on the turtle species, whether they are hawksbill, loggerhead, or green sea turtles which are prevalent in this region.

Incubation of the eggs takes approximately two months. When they're ready to hatch, the baby sea turtles tear their shells apart with their snout but wait until all the eggs are hatched before pushing through the sand to reach the ocean. Only an average of 0.01 percent of the hatchlings from each nest succeeds in making it to the sea due to common predators, such as seagulls and human poachers.

Once the eggs hatch, volunteers and employees of Sunset Royal Resort guide the baby turtles toward the sea to ensure that all of them make it safely into the ocean.

The female sea turtle is methodical about laying her eggs. First, she seeks a remote spot on the beach for digging a large, open crater to protect the nest from predators. When she finds the ideal spot, she digs a 16-to-20-inch deep circular hole in the sand where she deposits her soft-shelled eggs. After laying her eggs, she refills the nest with sand, covering the surface to make it undetectable. Then she returns to sea. This entire process takes about 30 to 60 minutes.

This Cancun hotel has been helping sea turtles complete their birth-to-sea cycle since it opened in 1993. Conservation efforts such as these have been successful in rescuing a large percentage of baby sea turtles.

Every night from May to October, the beach security at Sunset Royal Resort inspect the beaches of this Cancun hotel searching for these vulnerable creatures as they lay their fragile eggs and then transport the eggs to a safe nesting place away from the beach activity that begins at sunrise.

In addition to these ecological conservation efforts, Sunset Royal Resort and its sister resorts continuously provide support to indigenous communities in the Mexican Caribbean as a way of contributing to the region.

As part of the hotel group's humanitarian programs, its affiliated equestrian center, Hacienda Andalucia, offers free equine therapy sessions for local children. The hotel group also provides community support for to the elderly through its Golden Years Club and to the Mayan communities through its partnerships with local non-profit organizations such as Kanche and Kuxtal.

Established in Cancun in 1993 by Orlando Arroyo Marroquin with the financial support of such visionary men as Romarico Arroyo Marroquin, Arturo Marcelin, and Jorge Pallas Caceres, Sunset World has become one of the most stable tourism corporations in the Mexican Caribbean. Sunset World has 6 hotels in Cancun and the Riviera Maya ranging from boutique hotels to an eco-luxury resort. Sunset World is composed of 22 companies that focus on travel, ecotourism, and humanitarianism. Sunset World is focused on growth and intends to generate more than 5,000 jobs in Mexico, the U.S., India, the Philippines, and England.

Website: http://www.royalsunset.com/index.php?lang=en