A loggerhead turtle has laid 102 eggs on the Es Cavallet beach in the Ses Salines Nature Park in Ibiza. The eggs are being kept under surveillance, and protective fences have been put up around them.
Last week, another loggerhead laid 58 eggs on the beach in Playa d'en Bossa, Ibiza. The regional environment ministry said that this was the first report of a loggerhead turtle having done so in the Balearics. The eggs will take up to sixty days to hatch.
The police were initially in charge of keeping an eye on these eggs, which have been transferred to a safer place in the nature park.
Since 2014, there have been 46 cases of loggerhead turtles, classified as a vulnerable species, laying eggs on Spanish beaches. There had been little evidence of them having done so prior to this.
The environment ministry says that the turtle nests had been expected because of the sea's increased warmth and anticipates that the laying of eggs will become more common. The government is asking the public and the media not to touch the eggs or to use flash photography. If anyone comes across eggs, they should call 112.