100 sea turtle hatchlings set for release July 1
KOTA KINABALU: Kudat Turtle Conservation Society (KTCS) will be releasing some 100 sea turtle hatchlings at Kampung Bavang Jamal at 6.30pm on July 1.
Its chairperson Sofia Johari said slides and video presentations would be screened at the Bavang Jamal KTCS Education Centre at around 5pm prior to the release.
“This time, an estimated 100 hatchlings will be released from one nest,” she said.
Since 2012, Sofia said KTCS had released around 4,500 hatchlings.
“The rate of hatching is 85 per cent on average for each nest,” she added.
Members of the public are welcome to witness the release of the sea turtle hatchlings.
Fees will be collected for the maintenance of KTCS turtle hatchery - RM 5 per adult or RM 3 for children or students.
Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang, who is also Tanjong Kapor assemblyman, praised KTCS for its efforts in conserving and improving sea turtle population.
Founded by Roland Agansai and Francesca Winfield in 2011, KTCS is working with other stakeholders at Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) to conserve and improve sea turtle population in the park, the largest marine park in Malaysia and one of the largest in South East Asia.
The society is also working with other local communitybased organizations (CBOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), resorts, tour operators, universities, district authorities and enforcement agencies in mainstreaming turtle conservationrelated events and activities in Kudat, therefore supporting the management of natural resources at TMP that is being led by Sabah Parks.
The long term objective of KTCS is to establish 50 communitymanaged turtle conservation areas within the park, and to promote turtle conservation-based tourism within this area.
KTCS is working on increasing the involvement of coastal communities in environmental conservation programs. These programs include capacity building in turtle hatchery and conservation management, sustainable livelihood programs such as eco-tourism, coral planting, eco-farming, waste management and conducting environmental awareness programs.
For more information about KTCS, visit www.ktcsborneo.com.