It may be more than 5,000 kilometers between Playa El Zonte in El Salvador and Wallaceburg, but local resident Hugo Ramos isn’t about to let distance stand in the way of helping a remarkable Salvadorian man with his quest to save sea turtles.
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Ramos was visiting the Pacific Ocean beachfront community when he met Papa Tortuga (loosely translated to Turtle Dad), a man who has made it part of his life’s work to protect the sea turtles which hatch on the beach.
“This man had nothing,” Ramos said. “After the civil war (which ended in 1992) left him homeless, he found a spot on the beach. It was covered in garbage. He cleared the garbage away, made himself a shelter.”
He still lives there today.
The turtles are his passion and he uses a portion of the meager wage he earns selling items to tourists, to help the hatchlings.
“He buys turtle eggs and watches his beach to make sure people don’t come and dig them up when turtles lay eggs near him,” Ramos said. “It’s illegal to poach but people do it, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes for profit.”
Papa Tortuga has become a local legend, and government has offered him advice, but no money.
“He estimates he saves about 200 turtles each breeding season but he could do more with some help,” Ramos said. “Papa Tortuga heads out each morning and fishes to get the small turtles some food. He keeps them in some pails and lets them go as soon as they can survive.”
Although most don’t make it past predators, some do return every year, identified by markings or wounds.
“He says if he saves only a few, it means a lot,” Ramos said. “Sea turtles migrate for thousands of kilometers so he says he never knows who he is saving them for. It’s a thing that touches the whole world’s ecosystem.”
Ramos is hosting an information session at the Wallaceburg Wellness Centre at the corner of Wellington and Nelson May 8 at 8 p.m. A video of Papa Tortuga’s work can be seen here.
“It’s free and I’m hoping that some people come out and may be interesting in making a small donation to help Papa Tortuga,” he said. “It doesn’t take a lot of money to make a big difference.”
