OMG! That Seagull Has a Sea Turtle!

Every autumn, mother sea turtles visit Cancun's beaches to lay their eggs in the sand. The eggs hatch and each baby turtle flips and flops its way down the beach and scrambles into the water, where he or she is swept into the safety of the ocean. In theory...

To assist these adorable little creatures, many resorts in the Hotel Zone (including the Royal Sands & the Moon Palace Resort) collect turtles on the beaches at night (if you see flashlights or vehicles on the beach at night that could be why) & allow their guests to release them in the evenings. [Jen blogged about this here.]

Turtle release

Anyway, one day recently, Jen & I were walking along the beach between Club Med & the Westin Regina. Suddenly a few seagulls landed a few feet from us & Jen screamed: "Oh my God! What is that? Does that bird have a turtle!?"

I turned & looked... & was horrified to see that it did!

Luckily, I was carrying my handy flip flops ($2 at Walmart!), one of which I immediately launched at the seagull. It started to fly away with the turtle but was so startled (being hit by a flying shoe!?) that it dropped its dinner on the sand & flew off with its avian posse.

Jen & I ran over to check on the poor turtle. It seemed intact but dehydrated (much like a lizard we recently saved). Soon it was moving again & we were able to pick it up & release it into the waves...

I like to think that our little friend is out there somewhere telling all his/her turtle friends about this amazing death-defying adventure!

Oh, who am I kidding? Who would believe it!