McHatchery

I was in charge of the hatchery for an afternoon. The hatchery is a restricted place that protects the nests. No one is allowed in, because the nests are under the sand. There are so few Leatherbacks, every egg counts.



Working the hatchery involves sitting in a chair under the hot sun. All the time, you have to watch for predators like raccoons and birds that try to get in the nests.



Every twenty minutes, I had to walk over and check the nests to see if anyone was hatching. That little black thing actually holds a thermometer that monitors the temperature of the nest.



Then it was back over to the chair again. Gabi and Kim kept me company for a little while. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.



Gabi said I was an excellent assistant!