Christmas Island is home to one of the world’s wonders: the red crab migration. Add this to your bucket list.
This year, the island’s red crab migration, which Sir David Attenborough hails as one of the most spectacular migrations on the planet, will actually coincide with the lead-up to Christmas.
Recent weather conditions coupled with the synchronisation of the full moon means that the island’s red land crabs are spawning this week – an eye popping spectacle to witness for visitors to this remote Australian Territory.
“This means the female crabs will be returning en masse from the coast towards their burrows in the jungle, just as Santa arrives,” explains Linda Cash of the Christmas Island Tourism Association.
“Santa will feel like he has lobbed on the set of a Discovery Channel documentary,” says Ms Cash, who reveals, “absolutely nothing gets in the way of the endemic crabs – they turn the island’s roads, golf course (where there’s a penalty stroke should your ball accidentally hit one!) and beaches into a crimson carpet as they scuttle from the sea.”
Each year, thousands of crabs are killed by cars as they cross the roads, but this year members of the community are helping to reduce crab casualties in a number of ingenious ways. These include ‘crab protection infrastructure’ such as specially-designed bridges, grids and barriers which allow the crabs to cross roads in safety. Some locals are even going so far as to rake and sweep the ubiquitous crabs (which if undertaken with care doesn’t harm the crab) out of danger.
“On Christmas Day, after raking the roads of migrating crabs, it’s a bit of a tradition for islanders to wander down to Flying Fish Cove for a snorkel or dive (where Santa hats are obligatory) followed by a BBQ lunch (not crabs!),” adds Ms Cash.
For updates on the migration of the red crabs: www.christmas.net.au
