Second Female Loggerhead Turtle, Greggy Girl, is Outfitted with a Satellite Transmitter

Greggy Girl is the second turtle to be tracked via satellite in the 2008 Bonaire turtle nesting season.  Found while nesting on Klein Bonaire last Friday night, she’s the fifteenth turtle to be outfitted with a transmitter since the program began in 2003.

With Greggy Girl, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) achieved the goal of deploying two transmitters on turtles in 2008. Based on the pattern of turtle nesting activity observed on Klein Bonaire during the last few weeks, STCB staff predicted the possible return of a loggerhead turtle to the beach for Friday night. A field team consisting of STCB’s staff and volunteers set out at night to monitor the beach on Klein Bonaire for nesting activity. Around 9:00 p.m. a large loggerhead was found up on a sand dune and busy digging a hole for placing her nest, and she soon began laying eggs. An hour later, after she covered her nesting area extensively with sand, the approximately 120 kg animal was intercepted by the team on her way toward the sea and a transmitter applied to the top of her carapace. At 12:26 am the loggerhead turtle was released and she quickly departed into the sea.

The female loggerhead has a shell length of 96.7 cm and is estimated to weigh about 120 kg. Adult loggerhead turtles come to Bonaire to breed from May through July. The turtle is expected to remain in the area and lay at least one more nest before departing to her home feeding grounds.

Tracking Greggy Girl is being made possible by a full sponsorship provided by Houston, Texas-based children’s wear company, JMFA-Greggy Girl, Inc.  The popular Greggy Girl® clothing label, a favorite of some of the most popular child and young adult stars in Hollywood, is designed by Charlene May, who along with company executive, Cher M. Floyd, gains inspiration from the sea, sailing, and scuba diving. In fact, she completed her 450th dive last year in Bonaire. Mrs. Floyd, a long-time supporter of the environment, began working with the STCB in September, 2007. She and her husband, John, are currently on their motor yacht “Champagne Cher” which is docked at the Harbor Village Marina in Bonaire.

“It is imperative that we focus our efforts on protecting the reefs and saving endangered animals, like the loggerhead turtles, for future generations,” Mrs. Floyd said. “By participating in this effort to track and monitor Greggy Girl’s migratory patterns, we can more effectively protect turtle habitats and ensure that these gentle creatures will survive and thrive throughout the world.”

For those readers who have been following Wiske, her signal has, unfortunately, stopped transmitting.  Her last location was off the coast of Nicaragua.

Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire exists to ensure the protection and recovery of Bonaire’s sea turtle populations throughout their range. Founded in 1992, the STCB is a Bonaire-based, non-governmental and non-profit organization, part of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network.  (Source: STCB)

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