An extraordinary event occurred last night on Benidorm’s Levante Beach with the hatching of several dozen loggerhead turtles, a protected species. The discovery was made around midnight when passers-by alerted local authorities and emergency services after noticing small turtles making their way across the sand near number twenty-six on Avenida de Madrid. Emergency protocols were quickly activated, involving the Universitat de València, the Oceanogràfic in Valencia, the Xaloc NGO, and the Benidorm Town Hall.

Local police officers, along with the councillor for Beaches and Environment, Mónica Gómez, cordoned off the area to safeguard the hatchlings until specialists arrived. A total of thirty-nine loggerhead hatchlings were discovered, of which thirty-seven were alive and two had unfortunately perished. The turtles were monitored throughout the night while biologists and volunteers combed the beach in search of the original nest, but they were unable to locate it. Experts explained that no concentrated hatching zone was found, complicating the identification of the exact nesting point.

Of the rescued hatchlings, thirty were released at Cala del Ti Ximo just before dawn after being assessed and deemed fit to make their journey to the sea. The remaining seven turtles have been taken to Oceanogràfic in Valencia, where they will stay for a year as part of a controlled breeding programme known as head-starting. This initiative aims to increase their survival chances in a safe environment before they are reintroduced to their marine habitat.

Authorities have warned that new hatchlings could emerge in the coming hours, as not all eggs in a nest hatch simultaneously. Residents are asked not to handle any newborn turtles they encounter, except to prevent them from entering the sea unsupervised, and to contact emergency services immediately. Benidorm’s Mayor, Toni Pérez, described the event as “a gift from nature in the heart of the city.” He noted that this is not the first time loggerhead turtles have chosen Benidorm Bay as a nesting site, which he believes underscores the environmental quality of the area’s coastline. Such occurrences in urban settings reinforce the necessity of maintaining sustainable policies and environmental oversight, particularly on tourist beaches like Benidorm that receive thousands of visitors daily.