Mexican Family Saves 3,500 Sea Turtles in 59th Year

When tourists started climbing on nesting sea turtles and disturbing their eggs on a Mexican beach, a family-run conservation group stepped in to save thousands of lives.

On August 30, Tortugas Fundación Yepez A.C. released between 3,200 and 3,500 baby sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico from a beach in northern Veracruz. The moment marked the culmination of weeks of round-the-clock patrols and careful nest protection.

Fisherman Don Marcelino Yepez and his wife Librada Gerón, lovingly called "Mama Turtle," founded the nonprofit in 1967. Today, their eldest son Ricardo Yépez carries on their mission nearly six decades later.

The team intensified patrols in August after a pregnant green sea turtle was found dead on a beach in Nautla, Veracruz. Tourists had been putting nesting turtles at risk by approaching, touching, and even climbing on them while they laid eggs.

Yépez issued a public warning asking tourists to give the endangered animals space. His team then moved nests from high-risk areas to small protected enclosures where eggs could hatch safely.

"Today they are being released back into the ocean without any form of harm," Yépez said from the beach, surrounded by volunteers. He credited community members who called in sightings and helped monitor beach areas.

The Ripple Effect

The Yépez family's 59 years of continuous conservation work shows how dedication across generations can create lasting change. What started with one fisherman and his wife has grown into a community effort involving dozens of volunteers and concerned citizens.

Their success proves that local action matters. When tourists threatened the turtles, the community responded with increased vigilance and protection.

On release day, volunteers counted down together before pouring buckets of hatchlings onto the sand. The tiny turtles tumbled over each other, flippers wiggling as they raced toward the surf.

"You say 'it's easy,' but it's a lifetime of dedication and effort that not everyone does," one supporter commented on the foundation's Instagram video. The comment captured what 59 years of conservation truly means: showing up season after season, nest after nest, life after life.

Thanks to this family's unwavering commitment and their community's support, thousands more sea turtles now have a fighting chance at survival.