Jamaica Inn had recently launched its first online turtle naming auction ended on August 31st with the highest bid at US$256. Ms. Alison DeBartoli was the lucky winner to name the Inn’s first-ever tagged female turtle.
Ms. Bartoli was contacted with the exciting news and was very honored to name our turtle “Esmeralda”, pronounced as Ez Meh Ral Da which is of Spanish and Portuguese origin. The name also means Emerald, a precious gemstone with a rich distinctly green color. Ms. DeBartoli expressed that the name was carefully chosen with the thought of Esmeralda swimming in the ocean with the glistening rays from the sun and moonlight gleaming off her back, a magical sight to behold of a beautiful jewel swimming in the sea.
As the new guardian of Esmeralda, Ms. DeBartoli will receive:
- Confirmation of the turtle tag numbers which have been logged with the national turtle program
- Photos of mother turtle and any identifying features
- Photos of turtle hatchlings
- All updates on the mother turtle for this nesting season
- Annual information when she returns to lay her eggs
Long-lasting family friend Ned Brown was thrilled with the idea of our turtle naming auction that he opted to match Ms. DeBartoli’s bid. In return for his kind generosity, he was given the honor to name our second mother turtle “Petra” after the late Peter Morrow.
Our next turtle auction will be going live this month to name our third mother turtle nested on September 29th. All funds received from the auction will go towards the Jamaica Inn Foundation to aid with the ongoing preservation of our marine environment. Please stay tuned for further updates regarding the auction date.
thats awesome, but how could it be a male?
Once again, I will match the winning bid. If it is a male, I will name it Teddy.