I was introduced to the concept of wildlife conservation way before I could comprehend its meaning. When I was 7 years old, I visited Shell Beach, in South America. There, my aunt and her husband worked with WWF to protect the endangered species of the leatherback sea turtle.
The beach, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, was a spot where leatherback sea turtles would often lay their eggs. I remember seeing the huge eggs in a deep hole in the ground and thought it was fascinating and I am still curious to this day about what the egg feels like. A few days later, the eggs hatched and I had the once-in-a-lifetime experience to see the baby turtles emerge from their shells and make their way to the ocean.
Fast forward to May 2021, I was on a beach at Long Point Provincial Park when I notice some tiny prints in the sand. I followed it with my eyes and saw the tiniest baby turtle I’d ever seen trying to make its way to the water. My heart leaped out of my chest and I instantly got worried for the baby turtle because the beach was quite busy.
Children and their families were stomping and playing around, not noticing the little turtle trying to make its way to Lake Erie. Some children were also really captivated by the turtle and I knew I had to step in to protect this baby. With the help of their parents, I was able to ensure that the children didn’t touch the turtle or try to pick it up. I stuck by its side, gently guiding it with the sand toward the water because the turtle kept going in the direction of where a family was playing with a beach ball. I knew if it went that way, the turtle would be in danger.
After what felt like hours, but was about 40 minutes, the baby turtle made it to the water safely.