Andi Abdussalam, Antara 5 Sep 08;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Ihsan Alhamid Andalas, a nature lover, was happy with face looked shining as he explained he was to have about 400 new `babies` this week.
Not only Andalas, other conservationists grouped in Bengkulu province`s Young Nature and Environment Lovers Association (KP3ALH) were also delighted.
They all shared the same reason for happiness as the 400 bred-turtle eggs they had laid in four holes were about to hatch, where about 400 young turtles would be born.
Located in the Air Hitam Nature Park area, Muko-Muko district, Bengkulu province, Sumatra, the turtle eggs had been laid there about 60 days ago.
"We hope the eggs will hatch this week. We have four holes which are filled with 100 eggs each," Andalas who is the KP3ALH chairman told ANTARA News on Tuesday (Sept.2 2008).
The KP3ALH`s efforts to breed the rare species is in line with the increasing awareness of the country`s nature lovers of the importance of conserving the animal in the face of declining population due to local poaching, either for consumption or for commercial purposes.
In Bangka Belitung (Babel), a new province in Sumatra, sea turtle hunting has been increasing over the past few years.
Dozens of Leatherback sea turtles are hunted and killed each month to be used as ingredients for production of traditional medicines and as raw materials for leather good accessories, Head of Babel`s Agriculture and Forestry Service Andre Wiryono said.
As a result of rampant hunting, the population of leatherback turtles, locally called `Penyu Belimbing` (Dermochelys Coriacea) in the province has fallen to only about 1,000.
"It is very difficult for local fishermen now to get the species," Andre Wiryono, said. The rare species is usually found in three different locations, including the waters off Mendarnu Island, he said.
The local turtle species facing a serious risk of distinction in Babel includes five local turtle species, namely `Penyu` Kemp`s Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempi) and `Penyu Sisik` (Eretmochelys Imbricata) which according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) are at the greatest risk of being extinct.
The others are `Penyu Hijau` green turtles (Chelonia Mydas), `Penyu Lekang` or Grey Turtle (Lepodochelys olivacea) and `Penyu Tempayan` or loggerhead turtle.
Conservationists should therefore take the lead in the breeding of local turtles in Babel such as their colleagues are doing in Bengkulu. Otherwise, Babel`s turtles are facing extinction as poachers continued to hunt them.
In Benkulu, turtle breeding by conservationists get support from the Nature Conservation Agency (BKSDA). Thanks to the support, the quality of the KP3ALH`s breeding place could be further improved.
The turtle hatchery site which gets assistance from the BKSDA is developed with permanent walls and barbed fences with a door. So it is relatively secure and could be protected from thefts. Inside this location, only one hole with 100 turtle eggs has been made, however.
Unlike the other location, which has four holes with 400 eggs, its condition is still prone to theft.
The location was fenced with wood only. The sand layer inside which functions as a medium of hatching could clearly be seen from outside so that it is quite prone to thefts. There were four holes in the breeding location, each containing 100 turtle eggs.
Although turtle egg is prone to natural predators, its main enemy is actually human beings. "Predators like monitor lizards and pigs eat the eggs based on their need only. On the other hand, human beings, when they find them, will take them all," Andalas said.
He said that turtle eggs need 60 days` time to hatch and when young turtles are born they would slide into the sea where the offspring will face another threat from, for instance, sharks.
Local people usually collect turtle eggs for consumption or for money. They sell them at Rp1,200 (about 13 dollar cents) each. That`s whey it is easy to find turtle eggs in food stalls in Muko-Muko district.
Sand along the coast of Air Hitam, including the Air Hitam Natur Park (TWA) constitutes natural habitat for Sumatran turtles to lay their eggs each year. Here one can find leatherback turtles or other types such as green turtles, grey turtles (lepodochelys olivaccea) and one called `penyu sisik` (eretmochelys imbricata).
Along this coastal line is actually a place for various turtles from all continents of the world to lay their eggs. A tagged turtle was once spotted here which was later known to originate from the Philippines.
Besides, the coast of West Sumatra is also a place for turtles to lay their eggs. The West Sumatra regional administration is developing the coastal lines as a tourist resort to help promote the Visit Indonesia Year 2008.
A number of foreign journalists representing various news agencies and newspapers in the world were recently invited to release turtle offspring produced by breeding into the open sea from Mandeh Beach, Pesisir Selatan district, West Sumatra.
"Apart from releasing the turtle offspring, the foreign journalists also visited the Mandeh maritime tourist resort, one of the attractive resorts in the Visit Indonesia Year," Basril Basyar, the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) chairman of West Sumatra chapter said.
West Sumatra even promoted the site during the Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) in Singapore last April.
"We have places where tourists can see something more unique, namely the turtle breeding process. For such an experience, why should we go to Brazil. Let`s come to Pulau Penyu (Turtle Island) in West Sumatra," Head of the West Sumatra Tourism, Arts and Culture Office, H James Hellyward, said during the ADEX event in Singapore.(*)
