Malaysia: More turtles at Cherating

Fahirul N. Ramli New Straits Times 28 Aug 12;

GLIMMER OF HOPE: Turtle landings have increased but fewer tourists are coming to sanctuary

KUANTAN: AFTER a continuous drop in turtle landings at the Cherating beach in Pahang in the past few years, there is a glimmer of hope as 163 of them have returned and 15,465 eggs have been collected in the first half of this year.

The last increase in turtle landings recorded in Cherating was in 2007 when 307 landings were documented compared with 259 in the previous year.

However, the number of landings has steadily waned since then, when only the green turtle species returned to the beach.

In 2010, it came down to 189 landings with 16,175 turtle eggs collected before the number dropped further to 177 landings with 16,037 eggs collected last year.

The steady decline has also reduced the number of eggs collected and hatched manually at the Fisheries Department's Turtle Sanctuary and Information Centre in Cherating, which was established to help conserve the creatures.

State Fisheries Department director Adnan Hussin said the department was optimistic that it could arrest the decline.

"We are excited because 3,980 of the eggs collected this year were successfully hatched and since the landing period is mostly from April to September, a bigger number can be recorded this year."

Sanctuary manager Abdul Karim Mohd Sham, 54, said he had witnessed many green turtles laying eggs but had never encountered the penyu karah or hawksbill turtles in the area in previous years.

Karim, who assumed the post six years ago, said the last he heard of hawksbill turtles coming to Cherating was almost 10 years ago.

"Turtles usually land on beaches to lay eggs between 10pm and 1am. They easily get annoyed by noises and also by camera's flashlights.

"In many cases, frightened turtles will move to other locations. They will not lay eggs once the second or third diggings are disturbed," said Karim.

To deal with problem, the sanctuary has since last year restricted the number of tourists entering the 3.5km turtle-landing beach stretch from 7.30pm to 7.30am. The beach strip is manned by six rangers.

Such a restriction unfortunately, has reduced the number of visitors from 60,912 in 2010 to 45,668 last year while as of June this year, only 26,303 people visited the sanctuary.

"To protect the turtles and safeguard their landing site, we need stricter rules for turtle-watching and steady funds. But if fewer people come, we get less revenue and that may also hamper our efforts to protect the habitat and educate the public," said Karim who is also responsible for a 14m by 6m fenced-in "spawning sands", where the turtle eggs are placed for hatching.

"The ideal temperature should be between 27oC and 34oC, and the fencing prevents predators, like birds and monitor lizards, from eating the eggs.

"Just like the fussy turtle mother, we choose the best spot for her eggs and will relocate them if necessary," he said, adding that it would take from 45 to 60 days for the eggs to hatch.