Friends temporarily relocated to Papantla, Veracruz MX invite our family to visit. We learned there was a beach town nearby, Tecolutla. When we investigated Tecolutla we learned of a man, Fernando Manzano, who's spent his adult lifetime saving the most endangered sea turtle in the world, lepidochelys kempi, known as tortuga lora or Kemp's ridley. Of 8 species of marine turtles, Ridleys are distinct for a behavior known as "arribadas", or mass nestings. And the Kemp's, or tortuga lora, is the only specie of sea turtle that nests during daylight hours. Our family has long been interested in this animal. This was too wonderful a coincidence to miss. So 4 families spent a weekend in Tecolutla, releasing baby sea turtle hatchlings. And the Manzanos and the Collins' became fast family friends.
