Cancún celebrates the release of 84 loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings, marking the start of the 2025 nesting season. Officials urge locals and tourists to respect protection protocols.
Cancún kicked off its 2025 sea turtle nesting season with the release of 84 loggerhead turtle hatchlings (Caretta caretta), marking the first official event of the year under the city’s long-standing Sea Turtle Protection and Conservation Program.
The symbolic release was led by Municipal President Ana Paty Peralta, who took to social media to celebrate the moment and emphasize the importance of continued preservation efforts. “Let’s continue protecting this natural treasure together!” she wrote, thanking the wide range of individuals and institutions involved in making the program a success.
For more than twenty years, Cancún has run one of the country’s most effective local conservation initiatives, bringing together municipal agencies, emergency services, hotel staff, and citizen volunteers in a shared commitment to safeguard nesting sea turtles. The program is widely viewed as a model for community-based environmental protection.
“Thank you to everyone who makes this possible: the General Directorate of Ecology, Civil Protection, Tourist Police, Firefighters, hotels, and Cancun volunteers,” said Mayor Peralta. “Your commitment is essential to ensuring these species continue to reach our shores.”
This year, special pens have once again been installed on key beaches to shelter turtle eggs, keeping them safe from human interference, predators, and coastal hazards. These protected spaces allow hatchlings to develop under controlled conditions before being released into the sea.
The nesting season in the Mexican Caribbean runs from May through October, when thousands of sea turtles—including loggerhead, white (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)—arrive on Quintana Roo’s beaches to lay their eggs.
Officials used the opportunity to reiterate the rules that protect these vulnerable species. Residents and tourists are reminded not to touch turtles or hatchlings, avoid using white lights or flashlights on the beach at night, refrain from driving vehicles on the sand, and to report any activities that may harm nests or the baby turtles.
The city’s program is especially vital for the loggerhead turtle, which is classified as endangered. Conservationists note that the survival of each hatchling contributes to the health of the broader marine ecosystem and helps preserve the natural heritage that defines Cancún as both a city and a tourist destination.
“Every baby turtle that returns to the sea is a sign of hope for the planet,” Peralta said, reaffirming her administration’s dedication to environmental stewardship and sustainable urban development.
With this first release, the 2025 turtle season has officially begun, offering another opportunity for the people of Cancún and its visitors to witness—and support—the remarkable cycle of marine life on the region’s shores.
