Orfiria continued the legacy left by her two sons: looking after the lives of sea turtles. Today, Turtles in Bahía Solano is one of the most applauded and recognized projects, not only in conservation, but also in education in the Colombian Pacific.
News Colombia.
Orfiria continued the legacy left by her two sons: caring for the lives of sea turtles. Today, Pacific Turtles in Bahía Solano is one of the most applauded and recognized projects, not only in conservation, but also in education in the Colombian Pacific.
Also read:
‘Soul, life and heart’ are Orfiria’s words to express herself about her great work for turtle conservation.
«Well, Orfiria has been doing this work day and night for 11 years, a voluntary effort that she carried out hand in hand with two of her children, who due to life circumstances are no longer here. But in honor of them, she remains steadfast in giving everything to the project.
‘Every day that I do this, I keep them in mind; It gives me satisfaction and a lot of joy,’ he says proudly every time he is asked.
Pacific turtle turtle farm
And you may wonder how important this work is for her and how it contributes to the ecosystem? Well, sea turtles are umbrella species that can be seen on the beaches of El Valle, Bahía Solano. Having that adjective ‘umbrella’ means that they are food for many living beings, decreasing the probability of life to such a point that out of 100 only one of them reaches adulthood.
Given this need to give long life to these species, the Tortugas del Pacífico foundation was born, led by Orfiria and supported by her family.
However, she is very clear that it is not a question of money; It’s the love for little eggs and mommy turtles. In season, the work is harder; He doesn’t rest all night patrolling and collecting eggs. A means of transportation is required, in this case the motorcycle, which makes the journey easier, without forgetting that if the tide cooperates, the activity is easier.
It takes place 365 days a year. The commitment to preservation for the Pinilla Bermúdez family is very important, so much so that she herself expresses: ‘If I were to die, the next day my family would have to be protecting the eggs that will soon be babies and the mother turtles.’
How do you preserve eggs?
«Cuevita beach must be patrolled, at night and in the early morning, in search of turtle tracks to collect their eggs. Then, the nest and type of turtle are identified; It is dug in the sand and taken out one by one. Sometimes volunteers are lucky enough to see turtles giving birth, from the time they dig to the time they cover their nest.
Then, holes must be dug to plant the eggs there. This allows the turtles to be born safely and helps mitigate the losses of many in that first phase of their lives.
The next day, if the nests that they collected in previous days are hatching, the respective release is carried out, looking for the best weather conditions to take them to the sea.
Every time a volunteer or tourist arrives to visit the area and participate in the activity, Orfiria, or Mama Orbe as she is known, does not hesitate to give an environmental lecture and remember the importance of marine life, as well as raise awareness to avoid these human actions that are damaging the planet.
Definitely, it is a necessary work that contributes to the environment.
