MoU on joint turtle conservation signed

 

The Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Trekkers Lodge Sdn Bhd for turtle conservation on Libaran Island.

 

Both parties are collaborating on establishing a Turtle Conservation Programme on the island which includes, creating awareness programme for the locals and visitors on the conservation value of sea turtles, undertaking research projects to better understand the life cycle of sea turtles of Libaran island area and to create research programmes on the animal for local and international students.

Through the MoU, SWD will offer expertise, advice, training and monitoring assistance at the turtle hatchery and in situ operations to Trekkers Lodge Sdn Bhd in areas related to the collaboration.

The Department will also train Trekkers Lodge staff members Sdn Bhd to become honorary wildlife wardens who can then exercise enforcement with regards to the protection of the species.

The Department and the company were represented by SWD Director, Dr Laurentius Ambu and Trekkers Lodge Sdn Bhd Managing Director, Alexander Yee, at Rumah Terbalik respectively which is also operated by the latter, in Tamparuli recently.

Dr Ambu in his speech commented that there is a dire need to carry out turtle conservation in the state and he welcomed the initiative taken by Yee, describing it as another good example of the state collaborating with dynamic private enterprises and local community to protect the natural resources and environment.

“The department is always ready and supports the efforts of cooperation in managing and carrying out wildlife conservation activities in Sabah. I am confident that this collaboration with a private enterprise and the local community in carrying out conservation works will lead to a success,” added Dr Ambu.

Libaran Island lies at the Northeast coast of Sabah, about 40 minutes boat ride from Sandakan and five minutes away from Selingan Island and one of the main islands of Turtle Islands Park which support about 450 inhabitants whose main livelihood being fishing.

Besides safeguarding the turtles and their eggs, the collaboration will also allow the inhabitants to benefit from the conservation-based activities.

Eleven staff members of the Trekkers Lodge, Libaran Division, who were the inhabitants of the island including Yee and Libaran Village Chief, Sarief Nasidip Uyung, were inducted to be Honorary Wildlife Warden during the MoU signing ceremony, after undergoing a one-week training course in February 2012, conducted by the Sabah Wildlife Department.

Source: New Sabah Times

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Marine police steps up effort to capture turtle poachers

It was a bittersweet start to the month for conservationists in Sabah as the Sandakan Marine Police successfully seized a total of 6,500 marine turtle eggs from poachers last week.

"While we celebrate a seizure because it deprives poachers of their ill-gotten gains, we also mourn it because such seizure often means  loss of wildlife. In this particular case, it is a loss of 6,500 marine turtle hatclings," said Dr. Chris Shepherd, Deputy Regional Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia and Dato Dionysius Sharma, Executive Director of WWF Malaysia in a joint press statement yesterday.

Chris and Dionysius commended the police for the seizure and the public who provided information that led to the discovery of the eggs.

Chris and Dionysius view poaching as a serious matter as it endangers the survival of a species that already faces numerous other threats to their survival. Dr. Chris Shepherd painted a very grim picture. He said, "All odds are stacked against the turtles. As female turtles lay eggs each nesting season, many are taken by poachers and predators from the word go. Hatchlings are picked off on their maiden journey to sea or get caught in fishing nets as they grow older. Very few young ones survive into their first year."

The State has taken a strong stance against poachers. The Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997 restricts the collecting or possessing of any marine turtle egg without  an express permit.

The Marine police are also actively monitoring the situation with frequent seizures.

An estimated 13, 200 turtles have been seized to date. This represents 65 percent of seizures nationwide. The largest seizure took place in 2008 when marine police managed to seize 10, 000 turtle eggs from four men in Sandakan.

The difficulties in arresting and prosecuting offenders especially across international borders have led Chris and Dionysius to call for international cooperation and to urge Southeast Asian nations to make a concerted effort to stop the poaching and trading of turtle eggs in these countries.

Source: Insight Sabah

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Bid to smuggle in 6,500 turtle eggs is foiled

 

Sandakan: Marine police here foiled attempts to smuggle in a total of 6,500 turtle eggs late May. 

Assistant Commanding Officer of Marine Police Region 4, Inspector Sri Vikneswaran Renganathan said the seizure was made through two raids in separate locations on May 30 and 31. 

"The first seizure was carried out at the coastal beach of Kg. Forest at 4am on May 30 where a pump boat was detected at the scene. 

"When approaching, the boat skipper alighted from the boat and ran into a nearby mangrove forest to escape arrest. Upon inspection, we discovered 3,000 turtle eggs that were believed to be smuggled into the district here for local consumption," he said. 

The second raid, Vikneswaran said was carried out at a riverbank of Kg. Obar, Mile 7 at about 7am on May 31. 

"During our surveillance, a boat sped off from the area and we decided to inspect the scene and found 12 plastic bags containing about 3,500 turtle eggs," he said adding that all the turtle eggs have been brought to the the marine police base here for further action. 

He said the case is being investigated under Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. 

Vikneswaran also called on the public to channel any information to the Marine Police here about any suspicious activities happening at the coast by contacting Sandakan Marine Police team here at 089-221423 / 221424 / 221453. 

"Public cooperation is very much needed so that smuggling activities can be curbed," he said, adding that the two raids on May 30 and 31 were the result of public tip-offs. 

Source: Daily Express

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Environment and wildlife protection collective responsibility of all

KUDAT: The State Government wants people in coastal areas to keep the shores clean so that turtles will always have a place to lay their eggs.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun said it was still obvious that residents along the coast have not stopped throwing rubbish into the sea, particularly plastic bags, which are often seen strewn all over the beach.

He said the rubbish on the beach have been one main reason why turtles are reluctant to come ashore to lay their eggs because the sea creatures prefer a clean surrounding.

Masidi also lamented that there were less turtles found off Kudat waters, once renowned for the abundance of turtles, due to the sale and consumption of their eggs.

He urged communities to work together to overcome the problem and discouraged them from taking the eggs and especially to stop eating their eggs and meat.

He stressed that protecting the environment and wildlife was a collective responsibility that everybody needed to shoulder.

Masidi said this in his speech at the launch of the Beach Cleanliness Campaign in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day. Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Bolkiah Haji Ismail delivered the text.

The event was organised by the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at Simpang Mengayau in Kudat.

Bolkiah, who is the assemblyman for Pitas, was pleased to note that the organisers managed to gather people from all walks of life to care for the area in Simpang Mengayau.

He said it was important to keep all areas clean and not just the beaches.

Also present at the event were Tanjung Kapor assemblyman, Datuk Teo Chee Kang, Kudat district officer, Sebastian Lim, chairperson of the Kudat Turtle Conservation Society (KTCS), Francesca Winfield, SabahEAC members, World Wildlife Fund representatives and heads of government departments as well as local communities.

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Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

 

The Kemp’s ridley turtle is the world’s most endangered sea turtle, and with a worldwide female nesting population roughly estimated at just 1,000 individuals, its survival truly hangs in the balance. Their perilous situation is attributed primarily to the over-harvesting of their eggs during the last century. And though their nesting grounds are protected and many commercial fishing fleets now use turtle excluder devices in their nets, these turtles have not been able to rebound.

For this reason, their nesting processions, called arribadas, make for especially high drama. During an arribada, females take over entire portions of beaches, lugging their big bodies through the sand with their flippers until they find a satisfying spot to lay their eggs. Even more riveting is the later struggle to the ocean of each tiny, vulnerable hatchling. Beset by predators, hatchlings make this journey at night, breaking out of their shells using their caruncle, a single temporary tooth grown just for this purpose.

Found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, but also as far north as Nova Scotia, Kemp’s ridleys are among the smallest sea turtles, reaching only about 2 feet (65 centimeters) in shell length and weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Their upper shell, or carapace, is a greenish-grey color, and their bellies are off-white to yellowish.

They prefer shallow waters, where they dive to the bottom to feed on crabs, which are their favorite food, and other shellfish. They also eat jellyfish, and occasionally munch on seaweed and sargassum. They may live to be 50 years old.

Females aren’t sexually mature until about ten to twelve years of age. They nest every one to three years and may lay several clutches of eggs each season. Highly migratory animals, they often travel hundreds of miles (kilometers) to reach their nesting beach, usually the same beach they hatched from.

Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/kemps-ridley-sea-turtle/

Photo Source: http://oceana.org/en/our-work/protect-marine-wildlife/sea-turtles/species-at-risk/kemps-ridley-sea-turtle

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Hawksbill sea turtle

Hawksbill turtles are found throughout the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They avoid deep waters, preferring coastlines where sponges are abundant and sandy nesting sites are within reach.

Not particularly large compared with other sea turtles, hawksbills grow up to about 45 inches (114 centimeters) in shell length and 150 pounds (68 kilograms) in weight. While young, their carapace, or upper shell, is heart-shaped, and as they mature it elongates. Their strikingly colored carapace is serrated and has overlapping scutes, or thick bony plates. Their tapered heads end in a sharp point resembling a bird’s beak, hence their name. A further distinctive feature is a pair of claws adorning each flipper. Male hawksbills have longer claws, thicker tails, and somewhat brighter coloring than females.

They are normally found near reefs rich in the sponges they like to feed on. Hawksbills are omnivorous and will also eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, and jellyfish. Their hard shells protect them from many predators, but they still fall prey to large fish, sharks, crocodiles, octopuses, and humans.
Like other sea turtles, hawksbills make incredible migrations in order to move from feeding sites to nesting grounds, normally on tropical beaches. Mating occurs every two to three years and normally takes place in shallow waters close to the shore. The nesting procedure begins when the turtles leave the sea to choose an area to lay their eggs. A pit is dug in the sand, filled with eggs, and then covered. At this stage the turtles retreat to the sea, leaving the eggs, which will hatch in about 60 days. The most dangerous time of their lives comes when hatchlings make the journey from their nests to the sea. Crabs and flocks of gulls voraciously prey on the young turtles during this short scamper.

Like many sea turtles, hawksbills are a critically endangered species due mostly to human impact. Hawksbill eggs are still eaten around the world despite the turtle’s international protected status, and they are often killed for their flesh and their stunning shells. These graceful sea turtles are also threatened by accidental capture in fishing nets.

 

Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/hawksbill-turtle/

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Turtle watching in Sabah

David Bowden gets the rare opportunity of observing a wild turtle lay its eggs on the shores of Selingan Island

THE call came two hours after sunset and eagerly we filed into the darkness behind the ranger’s solitary torchlight to experience one of nature’s great spectacles.

The wait had been long. But in the end, it was well worth the opportunity to see firsthand a female Green sea turtle lay a clutch of over 100 eggs and then, to experience the privilege of releasing some baby turtles into the Sulu Sea.

Turtle Island Park, 40km off Sabah’s northern coastline, is one of the region’s best places for seeing wild turtles. The 1,760ha park comprises three islands — Selingan, Bakungan Kecil and Gulisan — and its protection as a conservation area is making a valuable contribution to the survival of turtles.

Selingan Island is the only one accessible to the public but all three participate in the Sabah Parks turtle hatchery programme. The conservation area extends into neighbouring Philippines under a transboundary management arrangement between the two nations. This means that both countries appreciate that turtles do not recognise international borders and that both island groups need to be protected.

On most evenings, turtles venture from the sea onto the shores of the Turtle Island Park to lay their eggs.

Maritime eco-adventure

We arrived into Sandakan on the first flight from Kota Kinabalu. Once we were in the open waters of the Sulu Sea, the fast boat was soon skimming the surface.

The simple accommodation on Selingan is restricted to 30 visitors but is very comfortable considering the isolation. All rooms are equipped with either air-conditioning or fan and there are communal showers and toilets.

Our meals were provided in the package and they included a good selection of simple but filling dishes.

There is an informative display and video presentation in the visitors’ centre.

I spent the afternoon snorkelling in the shallow waters and taking a leisurely stroll around the island. While the island’s birdlife is limited, I spotted white-collared kingfishers, grey herons, doves and white-bellied sea eagles.

After an early dinner, it became a waiting game where we eagerly anticipated the rangers’ announcement of the arrival of the first turtle.

Cameras and torches are not allowed while watching the turtle lay its eggs so that it is not disturbed. We also had to keep well back from the reptile.

Green and Hawksbill turtles visit the island after dusk to lay their eggs in shallow holes which they laboriously dig in the sand. Adult turtles can grow up to a length of about half a metre and weigh up to 40kg.

Each turtle lays about 100 eggs and then slowly crawls back towards the Sulu Sea. In the morning the beach was lined with turtle tracks trailing into the water.

The rangers selected just one turtle for us to observe. We huddled in a semi-circle behind it and managed to see its eggs slowly popping out.

The park rangers took measurements of each turtle to monitor the success of the programme. The eggs were then transferred to the safety of a turtle hatchery for the 50 to 60day incubation period.

While the new eggs were safe in the hatchery, other eggs were being hatched elsewhere. The activity in these holes was feverish as the newborn struggled to the surface of the soft sand and their chance to face the world.

The highlight of our evening was when we assisted the rangers to release the young hatchlings into the sea. Watching the excitement on the faces of the kids gave one a sense of optimism that we were making a valuable contribution to the survival of the turtles.

Not only are the turtles protected and egg-laying numbers maintained, but the programme is also an economically viable eco-tourism activity. 

Source: http://www.sabahtoday.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3543:turtle-watching-in-sabah&catid=53:place-of-interest&Itemid=61

Photo Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/kemps-ridley-sea-turtle/ 

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