Loggerhead turtles on the Greek Ionian islands

The two Ionian islands I visited in Sept 2020, Kefalonia and Zante (Zakynthos), are both known for the Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) that are found in the waters around the islands.

Unfortunately the existence of turtles around these tourist islands means they have become a big attraction for visitors, and this affects the conservation of the turtles. A similar thing happens in Malaysia, where the egg laying turtles and resulting hatchlings have become a big tourist attraction both in West Malaysia (east coast) and East Malaysia (Turtle Islands, Sabah). See my article on the Turtle Islands. The Turtle Islands are quite carefully controlled, but it's not as good in West Malaysia, where a lot of eggs end up in the local markets. 

In the Ionian Island, the turtles lay their eggs on beaches in Zante. Sadly the Loggerhead turtles have chosen the long sandy beaches between the main holiday resorts of Laganas and Kalamaki, located on Laganas Bay at the southern end of the island. And Laganas Bay is the most important breeding site for the species in the Mediterranean. It is in a National Marine Park.

The loggerheads have a wide range, and are classed on IUCN red list as vulnerable :

Unfortunately on Zante, the locals are cashing in on the turtles and doing little to prevent their gradual extinction.  It got so bad that Greece was taken to court in 2002 by the European Commission for its repeated and long-standing neglect in protection for this fast disappearing creature. See Greece: Commission continues legal action to protect rare sea turtle. "On 30 January 2002, Greece was condemned by the Court of Justice for failing to adequately protect the rare loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, on the island of Zakynthos. Laganas Bay in Zakynthos is the most important breeding site for the species in the Mediterranean. The sea turtle lays eggs only every two or three years, during the summer months, and when the baby turtles hatch two months later, they are very vulnerable. The Court declared that Greece had failed to establish and implement an effective system of strict protection, thereby violating its obligations under the 1992 Habitats Directive."

Then in 2014 there was another court case about the turtles, this time in Kyparissia Bay on the mainland, slightly south of Zante.

Mating season for the turtles is April to June and the eggs hatch about 60 days later, which is peak holiday season, June to August. I went to Zante in Sept, out of the egg laying season. I was glad about this, as I would hate to see all the tourists surrounding the turtles. There were plenty of places where the turtles had been nesting and the whole area was marked off by a yellow rope.

Each nest is separated by a corridor made of matting. 

There were plenty of signs telling visitors to keep away, but I wondered how effective they would be in the nesting season. The first one in Romanian, Russian and Italian, the second one in Greek, English, Italian, Romanian and Russian -

The protection cage at each nest had a notice -

The hut for the rangers was of course deserted, being out of season, and had no information regarding the turtles that had visited this year. The only notice was this one -

There were no turtle tracks at all in the sand. However in the dunes behind the beach, I saw these tracks, would guess they are lizard but I don't know -

In egg laying season, the sheer numbers of tourists affect the turtles, especially at night when the lights and noise disturb them. And the newly hatched turtles have trouble finding the sea in all the confusion. And some uncaring hotel owners put down more sunloungers, thereby reducing the beach area available for nesting.

The turtles are not just harassed on land. Dozens of glass bottomed boats pursue them in the water, with tourists excitedly and noisely taking photos. This means a lot of turtles fail to reach the beaches. Even out of season in Sept, there were so many tour agencies selling boat tours to see the turtles swimming in the sea. And the shops are full of souvenirs relating to turtles, such as soft toys, swimming rings and lilos, and all kinds of ornaments etc.

When I was on the neighbouring island of Kefalonia, I went to the capital Argostoli, and was able to see the loggerhead turtles swimming in the harbour. This was so nice to see as the turtles were there without being hassled by anyone.

Video of the turtles -

See more on the Zante turtles on GreekIsland .