By Mark Prior
Published Aug 13, 2013 at 1:48 pm (Updated Aug 14, 2013 at 4:53 pm)

Heading off: Turtle Venti Anni, sponsored by RenaissanceRe, heads for the
ocean at Clearwater Beach this week at the start of the Tour de Turtles.

Two juvenile green sea turtles are being tracked by scientists as part of the Tour de Turtles Race on the Rock.

The pair were fitted with a satellite-tracking device on the back of their shells and released this week from the Clearwater Beach area in St David’s.

The devices will allow scientists to track their movements over the next three months and learn more about sea turtles’ feeding habits and migratory patterns.

The research will then be used to help determine the best ways to protect the reptiles.

Tour de Turtles was started in 2008 by Sea Turtle Conservancy, a Florida-based organisation that provides online tracking of sea turtles.

“We’re excited about Tour de Turtles because it engages both the community and scientists with sea turtle research,” said BAMZ principal curator Ian Walker. “It allows people to get involved in the process and gives them a greater understanding and appreciation of this endangered species.”

Tour de Turtles Bermuda is a collaboration between the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the Bermuda Zoological Society, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, Department of Conservation Services and RenaissanceRe.

The turtles’ progress can be viewed at www.tourdeturtles.org/Bermuda.

For more information telephone 293-2727 or e-mail edofficer.bzs@gov.bm.