Beach construction ‘killing’ baby turtles
A construction boom in the Gulf of Kyparissia, in the Peloponnese, has caused the deaths of dozens of newborn loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the area, which is theoretically protected by the European Union, conservationists say. The lights on a new road linking the beach of Agiannaki to the central road and in new homes springing up in the area disorient the baby turtles, which usually follow the reflection of the moon on the sea, according to a spokesperson for the sea turtle protection society, Archelon. «These baby turtles, of which we have found dozens dead, are confused by the lights and head toward them instead of the sea,» said Niki Diogou of Archelon. A majority of the turtles were found squashed on the road. Some 50,000 of the endangered species are born in the Gulf of Kyparissia every year but only about 1,000 survive into adulthood.
