This Drone Footage Shows 64,000 Endangered Sea Turtles Nesting Near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Incredible drone footage filmed 64,000 endangered turtles nesting near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The drone footage was shot by the Queensland government in Australia back in 2019. However, it was just now released earlier this week.

Other than the video capturing not only green turtles, but also the hearts of many individuals including myself; the footage played a very important role for scientists.

The footage was able to help scientists count the number of green turtles that were gathering to nest on the island. According to government officials, the green turtles picked one of the largest nesting locations in the world.

What were the green turtles doing you might ask? Well, the sea creatures were preparing to lay their eggs while waiting to come ashore, according to the Raine Island Recovery Project.

Compared to other trials, Dr. Andrew Dunstan stated that this survey was the most efficient due to using aerial footage and non-toxic paint to mark the green turtles.

According to the press release, the total number of green turtles in 2019, was the largest grand total since the beginning of the Raine Island Recovery Project.

I just can’t get over how many green turtles there are in just one location!