Eleven
turtles, fresh from egg laying, are
making a dash from Playa Grande,
Costa Rica to their feeding grounds
in the Galapagos. Outfitted with
satellite tags for the 14-day race,
which takes place between April 16
and 29, these intrepid leatherbacks
are working a 100-million-year-old
tradition. But keep your eye on the
clock, sports fans, because this
600-mile sprint may be history in 10
years—90 percent of leatherback
turtles have vanished from the
Pacific Ocean, tripped up, as it
were, by
human pressures.
Pick your favorite athlete—Purple Lightning, maybe? Or Champiro?—and track her progress towards the finish line via satellite. (We chose to cheer on Champiro, Saphira, Stephanie Colburtle and Purple Lightning)
As
they paddle fin-to-fin,
beak-to-beak, our swimmers need
to watch out for obstacles such
as fishing paraphernalia,
plastic bags masquerading as
delicious jellyfish, other
marine debris, as well as the
occasional result of poor human
sportsmanship (BOO, HISS).
(copied from
Treehugger.com)
