Summer's first turtle hatchlings appear on Zakynthos

The Archelon society for the protection of the engendered loggerhead turtle on Wednesday said that the hatching season has started and advised beachgoers to exercise caution when visiting nesting sites.

Archelon said that the first traces of newly hatched Caretta-caretta turtles were spotted by volunteers on Sekani beach on the Ionian island of Zakynthos on July 21, marking the start of the season. The same nest continued to produce baby turtles over the next few days, the organization said.

The organization advised beachgoers that they must not interfere with the baby turtles when they emerge from their nests, as those first few minutes of their lives are instrumental for the hatchlings to return later to the exact same location to build their own nests. Only one in 1,000 baby Caretta-caretta survives the first few days from hatching, Archelon said, urging citizens not...