Animal Welfare In BeninParadise For Turtles

The site is modest in size and is surrounded by a white wooden fence. At one location, a large tortoise shell is painted, and at another, a gray elephant.

A few tables, wooden chairs, parasols, and homemade fitness equipment are situated here between the fence and the sea on the eastern city beach of Cotonou, the capital and largest city of Benin, West Africa. The local boys from the neighborhood play football here, and the visitors drink soft drinks and beer, especially on the weekends when the sun is slowly setting and a cool breeze from the sea blows across the beach.

Bienvenue Djossou, however, has built a location that is much more than just a beach bar for a sundowner. He opens a creaking door after helping his friend and coworker Vitus Elegbede unlock a large metal lock.

In this confined space, thousands of sea turtle eggs are hatched each year. The two men have their hands full during the peak season, which lasts from the beginning of the year until February.

Djossou says, "Welcome," pointing to a number of abandoned car tires. Sticks have been placed next to it by him.

The number of turtle eggs that are present is indicated on small signs that are placed at each end. Djossou then extends his index finger and points to the sand.

The average person's eye cannot see it. However, there are tiny bits of white that, although they resemble a broken shell, actually come from a turtle egg's shell.

Here, turtles have just begun to hatch, claims Djossou. Some were already present yesterday, and new ones were again born this morning.

Hatching starts when the sand is more disturbed than usual, demonstrating his previous experience as a turtle protector. Nevertheless, he is aware of the benefits of men's labor.

It is challenging to outlaw free eggs because this is the location of the critically endangered nascent stages of the tiny olive ridley turtle. A turtle can produce as many as 170 eggs.

Two-thirds of these give rise to turtle eggs, which make their way back into the ocean after hatching. However, about half of them pass away during their first few months and years of existence and never return to the beach to lay their eggs.

The majority of them, however, have not yet even been born. People who live close to the beach have collected, sold, or consumed the eggs themselves.

According to Joséa Dossou Bodjrènou, President of the non-governmental organization Nature Tropicale, which has been advocating for the protection of sea turtles since 1998, "In Benin there was always the attitude that what nature gives us, anyone can take, it belongs to everyone.". The same thing has frequently been noticed by Bienvenue Djossou and Vitus Elegbede: individuals would search for eggs and would be especially content if they happened to come across any.

In Benin, eating turtle eggs isn't even regarded as a special treat. Nearly 40 percent of the nation's 13 million citizens, who number in the West African nation, are considered to be poor.

However, vegetables are also pricey, along with meat and eggs in particular. Porridge made of flour or ground grain is commonly consumed, and while it fills you up, it is remarkably low in nutrients.

When money is tight, skipping breakfast and replacing it with a cup of tea that has been heavily sweetened allows you to get through until your first meal. Even chicken eggs are regarded as a specialty.

Banning people from receiving free meat and eggs is impossible in a nation where environmental protection is still regarded as a luxury. Animal welfare generates little revenue. Work in the educational field is required.

More than 100 eco-guards for the 120-kilometer-long coast separating Nigeria and Togo have been trained by Nature Tropicale. They keep tabs on everything that occurs along their particular stretch of coastline, gather the turtle eggs, and protect them until the young turtles hatch.

The Éco-Gardes participate in a workshop in June or July to brush up on their knowledge prior to the start of the season. Considering that everyone involved is a volunteer, protecting turtles is extremely difficult.

The majority of people in Benin work in the unorganized sector; for example, women may clean homes or sell produce at roadside stands. On small plots of land, men grow some grain while working on construction sites.

To make ends meet, many people simultaneously work multiple jobs. In addition to having no regular income, there is also no health insurance.

There is currently little time for those who are heavily invested in turtle protection to work at other jobs. However, according to Marie Djengue, people who live close to the beach are frequently among the poor.

At Nature Tropical, the geographer oversees the sea turtle program, trains the Eco-Gardes, and maintains regular communication with them. They communicate with the NGO via WhatsApp, sending pictures of newly hatched turtles, the quantity of eggs they discovered over the course of the night, and information about any potentially strange events that may have occurred on the beach.

Nevertheless, funding sources are crucial for the idea to succeed and for interest to persist. Marie Djengue emphasizes that "they need to have the chance to earn at least one or two euros a day.".

Otherwise, there is a chance that they will end up killing turtles themselves out of necessity rather than protecting them. It's time for the baby turtles to move from Bienvenue Djossou and Vitus Elegbede. Crawling group in the sandpit.

Just over 10 centimeters long, the tiny, still soft shells are a light gray color. When fully grown, they can reach heights of 70 centimeters and weights of 50 kilograms.

The men delicately take hold of them between their thumb and forefinger and carry them to a sizable box filled with sand. They must first acquire the ability to walk.

Elegbede describes this phase as "important," adding that it fortifies the body. The turtles are something he likes to watch.

It serves as a reminder of how we gave birth and how we gradually cut our cords after being totally dependent on our mothers at first. The turtles continue to leisurely crawl across the sand, stopping frequently.

Animal welfare is frequently considered a luxury in Benin; this is why Elegbede, an environmentalist, is working to change that. Image credit: Katrin Gänsler Even after they have hatched and wriggled into the sea, they are still at risk of a variety of hazards. Larger fish are consumed by them.

The fishermen's nets are torn apart by adult turtles in particular who become entangled in them. According to Marie Djengue, when they were angry, they would kill turtles.

A compensation program is required to prevent this. Because a fisherman who doesn't have a net also doesn't have any money.

However, the effects of climate change and the ensuing coastal erosion, which are visible throughout the Gulf of Guinea, are also harming turtle populations. Two areas of Cotonou beach are separated by the port, which was built in 1964.

The beach has even widened in some places to the west of it; roughly 60% of the country's gross domestic product is produced by customs duties. Since 2019, reforestation efforts have also been made there, resulting in the planting of thousands of palm trees, which have helped to remedy the area's damp walls and deteriorating villas.

Their root system has grown over time to make sure that high, powerful waves no longer cause the sand to break away. Thus, the palm trees take on the role of the most significant coastal protection measure.

It's the other way around east of the port, towards the Nigerian border. The Djossous turtle sanctuary is located in a section that is noticeably getting smaller.

Zone des Ambassades, or the embassy district, was the name of the area when it was a popular and posh neighborhood in Cotonou. Despite being surrounded by sizable gardens, the villas still exist.

Nevertheless, the region appears lifeless and all but abandoned. There used to be a lot of houses here near the water, but they are now all in ruins.

It is the masonry that has moisture. Some projects were never completed because they were no longer worthwhile.

Currently, it is inhabited by so-called squatters, or people who squat because they have no other option due to a lack of funds for rent. It is hard to imagine that the district was once much larger.

However, entire street blocks have been demolished over the last few decades. It becomes increasingly challenging for people to get to work when it rains and the water does not drain away for days or weeks.

The risk of contracting malaria increases. An analysis determined that the floods in 2019 alone resulted in economic losses greater than the equivalent of 81 million euros.

Another problem: protective walls against erosion Although scientists warned of "disastrous effects" on Benin's coast more than 20 years ago, nothing happened for a long time. It wasn't until 2012 that eight groynes were constructed by the administration of the time's president, Bony Yayi.

These are defensive walls that run parallel to the coast and into the water and are constructed of stone blocks. They can be up to 300 meters long, 60,000 tons in weight, and get wider as they go out to sea.

The intention is to reduce sand erosion by slowing the flow in order to break waves. 150 hectares of beach have been reclaimed and four more have been constructed since Patrice Talon took office in 2016.

But the edges, which can occasionally reach heights of over a meter, continue to exist and obstruct the turtles' access to their already dwindling nesting grounds. It is described as "a huge problem" by Marie Djengue, who also stresses the urgency of finding a solution.

Thankfully, the government has an interest in this as well. They grimly predict that if you don't find any, "there won't be any more turtles in Benin.".

You can't imagine that with Bienvenue Djossou. The child is in the sandbox while moving quickly through it.

It's time to move on to the next phase. Djossou carefully lifts the little turtles again, to put her in the water for the first time in her life.

For this purpose, a broken bathtub and an aquarium are available. He watches the first swim strokes and laughs: "Walking through the sand was very exhausting.

However, swimming is easy for them. Marie Djengue is confident that the government will take care of turtle conservation. Photo: Andrea Wojtkowiak "Releasing the sea turtles is also a tou-ris-t*in-nen-at-trak-ti-on in Benin.

The state has signed and ratified various international agreements to protect biological diversity. In 2004, the National Assembly also passed Law Number 2002-16, which states: "Fauna constitutes an essential element of the nation's biological heritage.

" The state must guarantee its conservation. Despite this, violations are rarely made public and punished even less frequently.

In 2017, according to Beninese media reports, a man was sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of almost 2,000 euros for selling sea turtle shells. Bienvenue Djossou and Vitus Elegbede rely less on deterrence and want to be role models.

Today is the big day for your turtles. After the swim station, they put 40 animals in two large buckets and carried them to the beach.

Tourists are often there. Together with the small bar, this is also a source of income when visitors donate to the project.

School classes from Cotonou also visit the Éco-Gardes regularly. Above all, Djossou wants to show the children in the neighborhood how important it is to protect turtles.

"They no longer eat the eggs, but want to release the turtles into the wild as well," he says proudly of the progress. The men have taken off their sandals and have arrived at the water's edge.

They place the buckets on the wet sand and, one by one, place the turtles in the sand. One turns on its back and still has starting problems.

The others have already been caught by the waves and are drifting in the Atlantic. You can't see them from the beach.

"This is their paradise," says Bienvenue Djossou, waving after them: "Bye, turtles!" They place the buckets on the wet sand and, one by one, place the turtles in the sand. One turns on its back and still has starting problems.

The others have already been caught by the waves and are drifting in the Atlantic. You can't see them from the beach.

"This is their paradise," says Bienvenue Djossou, waving after them: "Bye, turtles!" They place the buckets on the wet sand and, one by one, place the turtles in the sand. One turns on its back and still has starting problems.

The others have already been caught by the waves and are drifting in the Atlantic. You can't see them from the beach.

"This is their paradise," says Bienvenue Djossou, waving after them: "Bye, turtles!".

The local boys from the neighborhood play football here, and the visitors drink soft drinks and beer, especially on the weekends when the sun is slowly setting and a cool breeze from the sea blows across the beach.