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Turning the Tide for Sri Lanka’s Sea Turtles
**Indian Ocean sea turtles, recently on the brink of extinction, appear to be making a comeback. The turtles' eggs had become a popular delicacy, and as a result numbers of the giant creature severely decreased. A Gemini News Service correspondent reports on his experience with the turtles and the simple but innovative plan which has their numbers increasing, by Sanjiva Wijesinha
IT MU a cool, clear night at the end of Srl Lanka s
■on. We stood expectantly on the soft, sandy sea beach at Bentota, a little west coast village some 30 miles south of Colombo The sea was dark and warm, with gentle waves lapping the shore. Just as they have for the past few million yesn.
As we watched, from out of Curated dragged itself from the sea and up the beach, ft was huge sea turtle, about six feet in length (1.83m) and weighing about SOO pound. (227kg)
Using her powerful flippers, the turtle dragged her enormous weight along the sand and up the stoping beach until she had passed the high water mark. Here she began to dig her flippers scattering sand in all direction. as she scooped
bedyTThcn. having rested for a few minutes, she began using her hind flippers to scoop out
Once this digging vw over, she rested again. and then set about the main purpose of her visit, ^tiaity^e
Soon they started arriving two or three at a time. By the time she had finished, there must tare been over a hunched eggs to the hole.
The giant turtle rested fora while and then started using kw •• "WB "pi back into the hollow she had created. She then turned her bead towards the sea and ■tarty. deliberately, started her journey back. By morning the Incoming waves would have washed away all traces of her tracks.
Uke the lapping of the waves, this ritual has been going on since the time of the
The hundred or so eggs laid by each sea turtle would incu bate in the warm sand for 48 to 60 days and from them would hatch baby turtles.
Unfortunately, many people consider sea turtle eggs to be a delicacy. So to a Srl Lankan villager, a female turtle's output of hundred eggs represents about 100 rupees
l^nuriLtabte WOfth “*
In a community where 100 rupees is a man's average daily wage, the fact that sea turtles
Ing worldwide extinction means Httie So most of the eggs would once have been dug out of the sand. sold, and ended up as omelettes, scrambled eggs or buffs eyes.
Realising the futility of try Ing to uphold the law by patrolling the beaches, and protecting the eggs until they hatched. a group of pragmatic wildlife enthusiasts decided to collect the eggs from their natural "nests and incubate them in specially protected sand pits. The most practical way at collecting eggs to stock the hatcheries. they decided, was to gel potential poachers to harvest the egg. by paying them the current market price.
Thanks to these turtle such a^inT^and^r^da the tide has turned for the turtles. Since their inception, these hatcheries have released over half a million turtles Into the sea
The hatchcry at Bcntola Is run by the Bentnta Robinson Chib — a tourist resort run by the German-based Robinson resort chain. The hatchery at Kosgoda. Initiated by medical doctor Upen de Zylva, Is financed by the Swedish camera company Ilasaclblad.
, Once the eggs hatch, the baby turtles are put into large tanks of sea water for a couple of weeks. If released too early, they are easy prev to big fish such as sharks. The turtles are released into the sea only at dusk to minimise the threat from birds of prey that pounce on turtles swimming near the surface.
Even within the hatchery, the baby turtles have to be protected from polecats, mon gooses, porcupines and the ever watchful seagulls and hawks. The hatchery keeper at Kosgoda. who has been there since Its Inception, spends many sleepless nights chasing away these predators.
Tourists from abroad come In large numbers to see the baby turtles In their tanks, and. If they are lucky, to see the mother turtles laying their r«»
The hatcheries, It would appear, have turned the tide for Srl Lanka s turtles. They are thriving once more tn the Indian Ocean.
— GEMINI NEWS
About the Author : DR SA NJ IV A WUESINHA studied in Srl Lanka, Britain and Australia and is now chief of surgery at the Colombo Children's Hospital.