(CNS): A group of turtle hatchlings were all crushed on the road this week because inappropriate beachfront lighting sent them to their deaths instead of the sea. However, volunteers were able to rescue some of another group that was also misoriented.
While beach monitoring on Tuesday, a turtle volunteer spotted tracks leading away from the sea and into the bushes, indicating that the hatchlings had followed artificial lights in the wrong direction. Tracks were scattered across the sand, and some hatchlings were found in the vegetation and others trapped in a swimming pool, the Department of Environment said on social media.
The volunteer gathered all the hatchlings she could find and released them on the beach, letting them crawl into the sea. Concerned that more were still in the bushes, she raised the alarm, and two fellow volunteers and DoE staff joined her to search for them.
They released the ones they found, but others may have been lost, simply because property owners failed to install turtle-friendly lighting. It was then that the volunteers came across the hatchlings that had been run over by traffic.
“Every non-turtle-friendly light visible from the beach is a danger to hatchlings,” the DoE explained in a social media post, as they urged owners to look at their property from the beach after dark.” If your lights are visible from the beach and are not turtle-friendly, turn them off throughout nesting season or contact DoE about turtle-friendly lighting solutions.”
2026 is turning out to be a record-breaking year for turtle nests, with the most recorded since the DoE began nest monitoring, possibly as many as 2,000 nests on beaches across all three Cayman Islands. While this is welcome news, only a tiny percentage of hatchlings survive into adulthood, and so each one needs all the help it can get to make it to the sea.
The solution is an easy fix for those privileged enough to own property on Cayman’s beautiful beaches. But despite significant efforts by the DoE to encourage the use of turtle-friendly lighting, the message is still not getting through to all owners.
Conservationists are asking the government to mandate such lighting on existing properties as well as new ones, which is part of the long-published National Conservation Council’s Sea Turtle Conservation Plan that successive governments have failed to implement.
The DoE extended its thanks to the volunteers for spotting the tiny tracks, responding quickly and helping with the search to save the lives of disoriented hatchlings.
For turtle-friendly lighting advice, email emu.doe@gov.ky.
Anyone who finds hatchlings that need help or a turtle in distress can call the DoE Turtle Hotline: 938-NEST (938-6378).