Sea Turtles Part 1 of 4
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" Wanting to understand life will always be the greatest ambition, but also the most naive of all. "
Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra, explorer and documentary filmmaker.
Sea Turtle - Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra
The story of sea turtles in Mexico is one of many contrasts. A species that has existed on Earth for millions of years was brought to the brink of extinction by human predation. Despite being on the verge of extinction, it managed to recover in numbers in a truly impressive way thanks to the actions of those same humans. And while this may seem like something to celebrate, we cannot let our guard down for a second. Even though these efforts have worked, thanks to laws and regulations with very strict penalties, this species remains on the menu and a target for many poachers. What impresses me most is that many species have survived mass extinctions caused by nature, but when you compare this to the extinctions we humans have caused, we are the most dangerous.
I think we've all seen a turtle in some documentary or photograph, but when I saw them with my own eyes and the way I saw them, it changed everything I understood about them.
A sea turtle is a reptile that hatches from an egg its mother buries on the beach. Year after year, she returns to the same spot where she was born to lay more eggs, and so on with each generation of turtles. It's a system they learn intrinsically, and even today, we struggle to understand how they manage it all. Nature has a beautiful way of organizing life. After approximately 50 days of incubation under the sand where the eggs are buried, these small and beautiful creatures begin to emerge. They crawl to the sea with little agility but a lot of adrenaline, because from that day forward, among the thousands of turtles that manage to reach the sea, if they aren't eaten by a bird first, only one will grow into an adult and return to lay eggs in that same place.
Visiting turtle camps seems like a fun and pleasant idea, but that all changes when you're actually there, witnessing this natural phenomenon. Many turtles die seconds after hatching, devoured by birds. And once they enter the water, the number of predators they face only increases.
Documenting the marine world and its inhabitants has its ups and downs. On the one hand, it's a true adventure; you meet incredible people and have the opportunity to dive and swim in underwater realms that seem like a dream. But one of the most beautiful gifts of this profession is being able to witness, body and soul, the beings that inhabit the waters. Sharing space with wild animals is incredibly enriching, and although it sounds romantic, these animals communicate so much to us when we observe them with care. And that's the most difficult part: trying to capture with the camera the moments where these species impart lessons for our lives. It's no coincidence that humans invent fables and all these stories where there are lessons hidden between the lines we read.
Turtles mating - Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra
Nature forms sacred and perfect patterns and geometries from its tiniest expressions, and nothing is perfect without an altered chaos that breaks the mold to put things into perspective. Without these contrasts, we couldn't describe good and evil, or darkness and light. And in every beautiful story you know or interact with, there comes a sharp blow of reality where you also encounter the evil and the tempest that exists within the majesty of the world.
Turtles are resilient and extremely important for the planet's balance, but at the same time, they are animals that could disappear in the blink of an eye. While I observe all the beauty of the natural world from a panoramic vantage point within my mind, I am also analyzing moments of chaos and destruction, because all of this is always happening simultaneously.
I took a flight to Huatulco and from there drove to a beach called La Escobilla, a place famous for one of the most beautiful natural spectacles one can witness on Earth: one of the largest turtle nesting sites in the world. Millions of turtles arrive on this coast to lay their eggs. Watching from a distance as thousands of turtles emerge from the water and search for the perfect spot to dig a hole is thrilling. They have to cross giant waves that could easily slam them against the seabed and end their lives. These waves have tremendous force, and once on the beach, they crawl across the sand for many meters, some even hundreds of meters, and then begin to dig, slowly pushing the sand to create the perfect depth to lay the eggs that will give life to this species, which carries within its existence a kind of wisdom that would be very difficult for us to understand. Witnessing this is just a small glimpse of how difficult these animals' lives are, both before and after their hatching.
Turtle on the reef - Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra
To mention a few of the animals that prey on turtles, there are these that my friend Sostenes Rodríguez told me about:
Beetle, Pileles, Flies, Ants, Fungi, Humidity, Dogs, Badger, Raccoon, Coyote, Gray Fox, Opossum, Armadillo, Skunk, Crab, Birds, Vultures, Stork, Spoonbill, Nocturnal, Tuna, Skipjack, Needlefish, Marlin, Sailfish and Sharks.
It's one of the living beings with the most predators in the world, so I'll stop mentioning animals on this list for everyone's sake. But I will say that we have been the only predator that has threatened their very existence.
The sunsets in the places I visit are always a spectacle. Every shade of color is different, every brushstroke of light in the sky has its own unique texture, and the scene of sky and earth reflected in the ever-changing mirrors of the water makes each one completely unique and unrepeatable. The beauty of continuity and the infinity of circumstances always influence our daily lives. Anyone who believes these things don't have a metaphysical effect on us hasn't yet opened their eyes, hasn't truly been born. Because when we begin to see existence, that's when life truly begins.
Explaining life has always been the greatest challenge for all thinkers, explorers, and scientists. Wanting to understand life will always be the greatest ambition, but also the most naive of all. Yet it is in this folly that many of us journey to find meaning in our lives. Hopefully, one day someone will discover the answer to that simple question whose complexity has never allowed us to find a solution.
Las tortugas deben entender la vida de una manera tan distinta a como nosotros hemos tratado. Han estado mucho más tiempo que nosotros aquí, y han logrado sobrevivir de maneras aún más inteligentes de como nosotros hemos tratado de existir. Nuestra inteligencia parece solo habernos desconectado de esta sabiduría natural. Nos ha dado placeres y emociones, ambiciones y habilidades para tratar de moldear el mundo natural. Pero la naturaleza siempre ganará cuando se trata de desviar la manera en la que ha funcionado toda su vida. Hay animales que pueden ver sonidos, y otros que pueden escuchar colores. Y con esto dicho, ¿en verdad cuánto entendemos?
Las tortugas recorren longitudes abismales solo para regresar al mismo lugar donde nacieron de nuevo. Hay periodos de su vida en donde no tenemos idea alguna de qué es lo que pasa en sus vidas. Y a pesar de conocer tan poco de ellas, han logrado crear un espacio de empatía muy fuerte en nosotros, los humanos. Una persona que sea sorprendida cazando, traficando o comiendo tortuga puede recibir hasta 30 años de prisión. Es uno de los animales que más hemos protegido en México y gracias a eso la población de tortugas mundialmente sigue existiendo. Así que sí, fuimos quienes casi acabamos con ellas, pero también somos quienes hemos ayudado a que esta especie siga existiendo. Esto es algo en lo que pienso deberíamos hacer con todas las especies, y es algo que estamos haciendo, pero en verdad necesitamos tratar de esta manera muchas de las formas de vida que existen en el planeta.
La Escobilla es una playa que ahora es un santuario para las tortugas. Se extiende por aproximadamente 25 kilómetros, pero solo 15 de ellos son reserva, y aproximadamente en 7 kilómetros es donde estos animales se juntan más para desovar. Sin embargo, esto no quiere decir que no lo hagan en toda la extensión de los 25 kilómetros de esta playa. Con la llegada de las tortugas también comienzan a llegar las personas que están emocionadas por verlas. Es un sentimiento muy raro ver a tantas tortugas y tantos humanos en la playa al mismo tiempo. A las tortugas parece que esto no les molesta, pues con el paso del tiempo comienzan a entender que no somos un peligro para ellas en ese lugar.
La mayoría de las personas respetan este acto, y aunque lo toman como un espectáculo, también algo más está ocurriendo. Cada persona que presencia esto comienza a entender la vida de una manera distinta, empieza a empatizar con todo lo que estos seres están haciendo en su existir, y por eso el mismo éxito en la conservación de esta especie. Cuando nos conectamos profundamente con los animales, comenzamos a cuidarlos. Y por eso es importante que sigamos conectando, no aprovechándose, sino viendo cómo nuestro rol puede servir para proteger la biodiversidad y el mundo.
Un ejemplo de esto es la familia y el grupo de personas que trabajan en este refugio. En un pasado no muy lejano, todos ellos se dedicaban a cazar y vivían alimentándose de estos animales. En conjunto con todos los que cazaban y comían tortuga, comenzaron a desaparecer y eran muy pocas las que ahora llegaban a las costas. Algo que, si no se atendió prontamente, ocasionaría que esta familia se viera en un serio problema. Pero ahora se han dado cuenta de que estos animales les han dejado muchísimo más vivos que muertos.
El turismo regenerativo que se realiza alrededor de esta especie es un ingreso importante para el estado. Las tortugas atraen a millones de personas y son uno de los maestros más grandes. Me atrevo a decir que con solo observarlas llega un entendimiento y ganas de proteger el mundo natural por sí mismo. Una sabiduría ancestral que aún no entendemos, una manera de comunicar que solo las tortugas saben.
Y con esto dicho déjenme contarles la historia detrás de cámaras que cambió mi vida mientras documentaba a las tortugas. Algunas de las respuestas de cómo es que estas tortugas encuentran el camino de regreso a donde nacieron y muchas cosas que surgieron en mi mente después de documentar a este bello animal.
El documental lo pueden ver en youtube pero conocer la historia como yo la vivi solo podrán leerla más adelante.
"Wanting to understand life will always be the greatest ambition, but also the most naive of all."
Alonso I. Rodríguez de la Parra