Rare Sea Turtle Eggs Rescued from California Beaches Ahead of Hurricane Polo

In a race against Hurricane Polo, wildlife officials successfully relocated hundreds of rare sea turtle eggs from nesting sites on California beaches. The dramatic move was initiated on Friday to protect the eggs from the potential impacts of the powerful storm, which was projected to bring strong ocean swells and coastal flooding to Southern California.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel worked with the Aquarium of the Pacific to carefully excavate two nests, each containing approximately 100 eggs, from beaches in Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. These discoveries marked the first documented natural sea turtle nests on the U.S. West Coast. The olive ridley sea turtle, whose species is considered endangered on Mexico's Pacific coast, typically does not nest in the United States.

Biologists expressed concern that the nests, laid close to the high tide line, could be washed away by the hazardous surf conditions anticipated from Hurricane Polo, particularly when coinciding with high tides. This prompted the decision to move the eggs to a secure, climate-controlled environment at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The eggs were collected and placed into coolers before being transported to the aquarium. They are expected to hatch within 45 to 60 days.

Scientists have suggested that the turtles may have experienced a navigational error, leading them to nest so far north. The closest known nesting beaches for olive ridley turtles are approximately 700 miles south of the California sites.

The nesting sites were temporarily fenced off, and the public was asked to avoid the areas. Video footage of the nest-laying had previously gone viral.

Meanwhile, coastal communities along Southern California were bracing for increased surf, powerful rip currents, and potential flooding as Hurricane Polo approached, though it was not expected to make a direct landfall in the state.