Over 90% of turtle nests are predated by foxes or other animals, this level of predation is unsustainable. You can help prevent this loss of recruitment by protecting any nests you become aware of. There are two methods you can undertake, temporary and permanent.
The basic difference is that the temporary protection will not allow the hatching to emerge for the nest when the hatch, where as the permanent protection will.
It is important to act quickly as we know of cases where people have gone to get something to protect a nest only to return shortly after to find it dug up.
These style of protection will do the job but it is only temporary (a few weeks at best) and will need to be replaced, if you are in the Gunbower Island area there is a good chance we will be able to visit the location and place permanently protection on the nest, if you contact us we can be reached via email on turtles@iinet.net.au or on the phone 0405 530 372.
This is only slightly harder to do and it requires some more specialised (but common) equipment. You will require a piece mesh of some sort that is about 500mm square with openings that are around 50mm, we use plastic trellis that we buy at Bunnings, but chicken wire will also do the job, we have also seen other types of old metal grills used successfully.
To protect the nest you simply place the mesh over the nest, peg firmly it down at the corners and let nature take its cause.
Depending on the species it will take between 2 months and a year for the eggs to hatch, when the hatchling have emerged you will see a small hole where the turtles have dug there way out. The mesh and pegs can them be removed for reuse.
