Officials rescue historic first olive ridley sea turtle eggs from California beaches ahead of Hurricane Polo

From the Newshound archive · first published 26 September 2026.

Officials have rescued an unprecedented clutch of olive ridley sea turtle eggs — the first ever documented on the US West Coast — and moved them to safety before Hurricane Polo reaches land. The nests turned up on Southern California beaches in September, a historic first for the species in the region. Authorities moved quickly to protect the eggs as the Category 5 storm bears down on the coastline.

Hurricane Polo, a Category 5 storm, is expected to make landfall along Mexico's coast on Monday.

The olive ridley turtle nests mark the first recorded instance of the species breeding on US West Coast beaches.