Twenty-two loggerhead turtles hatched from an unreported nest in Ramla l-Ħamra late on Friday night, the environmental regulator reported.

The 22 hatchlings were discovered by members of the public, who immediately informed NGO Nature Trust Malta about the discovery.

The Ramla hatchlings are the first turtle hatchlings to be reported in 2021 so far, following a record-breaking number of turtle eggs that hatched the previous year.  

In a statement announcing the hatching, the Environment and Resources Authority said that the nest is close to one discovered last year at the Gozitan bay, but was unprotected as it had not been reported.

ERA officers have now set up a perimeter around the site with a path to the sea. The site will be constantly monitored until the nest is opened to ascertain the number of hatched and unhatched eggs.

In its statement, the ERA thanked Nature Trust Malta for their work to ensure the conservation of turtles and other protected species, as well as volunteers and members of the public who contributed to such work.

“This work is possible through the ongoing collaboration between ERA and NTM. ERA funds NTM’s action on the rehabilitation and reintroduction of injured or stranded protected species and NTM volunteers play an invaluable role in these processes,” it said.

Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are long-living sea creatures that are classified as globally endangered by the World Conservation Area. They tend to live in tropical and warm temperate areas.

Capturing, killing, taking, and trading these turtles or hatchlings is a crime, as is deliberately disturbing them, destroying or taking turtle eggs

Anyone found to have broken turtle protection laws can face fines ranging from €500 to €2,400 for each egg that is destroyed or taken from the wild.

Ant areas where turtles have laid their eggs are also classified as protected under the Environment Protection Act.