By D’Drift Team
BINTULU, July 8: Green turtles have returned to the Golden Beach of Similajau National Park to lay their eggs after two decades following the discovery of 67 eggs yesterday morning.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) Regional Manager of Bintulu Nickson Joseph said green turtles have been appearing at Similajau National Park to lay their eggs since 2016, following the corporation’s effort to drop about 600 reef balls about 13 miles away from the beach.
“We noticed that, after a few years, the turtles started coming in. They came here before but stopped. But after we dropped the reef balls, they came back.
“It surprised us as we didn’t expect that to happen. The landing rate in one month is two to three, up to five landings,” Nickson told the D’Drift Team.
He said the landing behaviour of the green turtles was unique. The creatures will not instantly lay their eggs. Instead, they will scout first, and if they find the area favourable, they will identify the place to return to lay eggs.
“There were about 100 green turtle landings here since 2015,” Nickson estimated.
SFC has to protect the eggs and place them in the hatchery at the park to prevent monitor lizards and wild boars from eating the eggs.
The third group of predators that would cause harm to turtle eggs are humans, who may also either collect the eggs for their consumption or sale.
According to Nickson, the survival chances of the turtle hatchlings are slim. Even if they successfully hatch and return to the sea, their survival rate at sea is one per cent.
“The eggs are gender-neutral in the beginning. Their genders depend on the temperature of the sand. If the sand is warm, then the hatchlings will be female. If the sand is cold, then the hatchlings will all be male,” said Nickson.
Meanwhile, SFC staff Mohd Hapeni said yesterday was the first time after 20 years that turtle eggs were found on Golden Beach.
Mohd Hapeni is a local who knows Similajau National Park like the back of his hand.
“The monitor lizards and wild boars can use their sense of smell to tell where the eggs are. For us, we use a slim stick to poke around to ascertain if there are any eggs in the loosened sand, following the trails they leave behind,” said Mohd Hapeni. — DayakDaily
