Incredible discovery on popular 4WD beach by group of schoolies: 'Really exciting'
An influx of vehicles on the popular holiday island poses a threat to the area's wildlife.
A group of teens enjoying a camping trip to celebrate schoolies made an unexpected discovery on the sand this week, right "in the middle of a vehicle access track" on the iconic 4WD beach.
While visiting Ocean Beach in the Bribie Island National Park, the school group found a clutch of turtle eggs nestled among tyre tracks in the sand — marking the start of hatching season. And while admiring the views the "concerned" youngsters remained "on watch" until rescuers arrived who "delicately" relocated the 122 eggs to a "safer site".
Turtle nests are vulnerable to the disturbance of 4WD vehicles that regularly travel along Bribie Island beaches — which is particularly troubling at this time of year as the animals emerge. Nests can be laid anywhere from the upper beach platform, across the dunes and all the way up to the tree line, environmental protection group BIEPA states.
"One of the threats posed by 4WD vehicles during turtle season is that hatchlings will get stuck in tyre tracks, dramatically increasing the time they are on the beach, where they are at risk of being eaten by a predator or dying by exhaustion," Bribie Island Environmental Protection Association Inc (BIEPA) President Richard Ogden told Yahoo News Australia.
Visitors often ignore native wildlife on Bribie Island
Darren Jew from BIEPA's wildlife team told Yahoo it's "really exciting" to finally see young drivers on the beach express interest in the native wildlife, as often visitors rarely pay attention.
Reckless behaviour, including hooning and leaving behind rubbish and other items has previously been witnessed and strongly discouraged. "Disrespecting" the "special" landscape can cause significant damage to the area's flora and fauna, authorities warn.
"It's such a recreational destination," he said, comparing it to other national parks across Australia. "The vast majority of visitors are going just to drive their vehicles on the beach [and have no interest in wildlife].
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"A big issue we have on Bribie is that on some days it's empty, but on busy days there are just way too many vehicles on the beach driving up near dunes," he said.
"From our experience, nothing beats a firsthand wildlife experience to awaken somebody's appreciation," Jew continued, thrilled by the group wanting to protect their find.
BIEPA and local authorities are pleading with visitors to the island to pay attention to local wildlife, especially when driving along the sand. Jew said it's a "very special beach" and "broader education and appreciation for nature" is required, which is what BIEPA and others like it have been trying to do.
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