Palmerston turtle enters space-age
With training and equipment from George Balazs of the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service Honolulu Laboratory, the team attached a satellite tag to one of the Palmerston nesting turtles. Satellite tracking is revealing the migratory pathways and destinations of Cook Islands green turtles, information essential for their conservation. Read more with images below.

The team erected a tagging camp around "Mama Onu" after she nested on a Palmerston beach early in the morning.		"Mama Onu " rested during the attachment. Note satellite transmitter on her back.

Re-orienting "Mama Onu " in her temporary stall.		The tagging team included most of the Palmerston islanders - here "Mama Onu" starts towards the ocean.

Mama Onu heads for open water with encouragement from Research Assistant Rangi Marsters. The satellite transmitter on her back (note antenna above) will relay her position each day as she migrates across the Pacific Ocean to her feeding grounds, and will yield the first information on migratory movements of endangered green sea turtles which nest in the Cook Islands.