March 20, 2012
PORT DICKSON: About 1,300 baby hawksbill turtles, hatched at the Glory Beach Resort Turtle Hatchery, were released into the sea between June and December last year.
This is more than 70 per cent of the total number of eggs collected by the hatchery from residents in the area and the Malacca Fisheries Department.
Chief of the Rantau Abang Turtle Centre and Marine Ecosystem Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Kadir said the successful programme was initiated in September 2010 to rescue as many turtle eggs as possible in the area.
"We asked members of the public who find turtle eggs to send it to the hatchery where they will be incubated.
"After hatching, the baby turtles are released into the sea.
"We hope they will return to the area here someday as adults to lay their eggs," he said.
He was speaking at a recent awareness programme for the media at the hatchery.
The turtle rehabilitation programme is a joint effort between the Turtle Centre, Malacca, Negri Sembilan Fisheries Departments, and Glory Beach Resort.
Also present were state executive councillor for tourism Datuk Mohammad Razi Kail, Port Dickson municipal council president, Abdul Wahab Shamsuddin and Glory Beach Resort general manager Isaac Raj.
Syed Abdullah said the main objective of the programme was to create awareness of turtle conservation - and the importance of safeguarding the turtles and their habitat - among the locals, tourists and fishermen.
He said they expect to incubate. hatch 3,000 eggs this year
