CJMY
After a four-year absence, the Olive Ridley turtle has returned to Pantai Keracut in Penang, Malaysia. The Olive Ridley turtle is a well-known species in Penang besides Pahang and Terengganu. However, the landing trend of the Olive Ridley and Leatherback turtle has dwindled due to environmental threats and human factors.
The Penang Fisheries Department reports that the last time the Olive Ridley turtle returned to lay eggs in Penang was in 2019.
Recently, the Penang Fisheries Department received a report from the public that found hatchlings of Olive Ridley turtles on the beach around Hotel Angsana, Teluk Bahang. The Conservation and Resource Protection Branch team went to the scene and found 110 hatchlings of Olive Ridley turtles. The Olive Ridley turtles come to Penang from September to February to lay eggs.
The hatchlings were brought to the Pantai Keracut Turtle Conservation Centre for further conservation and care before being released into the sea. The Turtle Sanctuary keeps the young turtles in small ponds until they are old enough to survive in the wild. This method increases the chances of the babies reaching adulthood and returning to their birthplace to lay their eggs in the future.
The Penang Fisheries Department expressed its appreciation to the public for reporting the presence of turtles on the beaches around Penang. They hope that reasonable efforts and cooperation like this will help restore the increasingly extinct turtle species to ensure the sustainability of the population of this species.
The Olive Ridley turtle is among the smallest of the world’s sea turtles and is found primarily in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. They get their name from the olive green colour of their heart-shaped shell. The number of Olive Ridley turtles is dwindling due to overexploitation for turtle meat and eggs, bycatch in fishing gear, and the direct harvest of turtles and eggs.
The Olive Ridley Sea turtle has one of the most extraordinary nesting habits in the natural world. Large groups of turtles gather offshore of nesting beaches, and all at once, vast numbers of turtles come ashore to nest in what is known as an “arribada”, which means “arrival” in Spanish. Hundreds to thousands of females come ashore to lay their eggs during these arribadas. At many nesting beaches, the nesting density is so high that previously laid egg clutches are dug up by other females while excavating the nest chamber to lay their eggs.
In conclusion, the return of the Olive Ridley turtles to Pantai Keracut is a significant event for Penang’s conservation efforts. The establishment of the Turtle Conservation Centre at Pantai Kerachut can achieve its goal of protecting these species from extinction in Pulau Pinang.
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Jimmy Tan
