** WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT **
We have no words here at the Perhentian Turtle Project today. This morning our team were notified of a dead turtle seen nearby to our nesting beach, Tiga Ruang. We were saddened to see this one when we arrived, floating belly up in the calm sheltered bay. This one is small, maybe a juvenile and the back half of its shell was completely decimated by a boat strike. As if this wasn’t bad enough, when we came to shore to meet the rest of the team and the local Department of Fisheries Jabatan Perikanan Malaysia (DOF), Jabatan Perikanan Terengganu , we learned there was not one, but two dead turtles in the bay. Within minutes the Fisheries staff were towing the two dead turtles to shore for us to measure and photograph. It was clear that the second one had been hit by a boat as well, right through her head.
It was an incredibly sad experience for all of our staff and the Fisheries staff alike. This morning we had initially planned simply to visit Tiga Ruang for the day to convene with the rest of our team. You see, the entire Malaysian Department of Fisheries were due to visit all the way from KL, and had previously been at Redang Island. They were on their way to visit our hatchery and the base at Tiga Ruang when we discovered the two turtles. We measured and took pictures for possible ID, then finally laid them to rest in front of our shipwreck.
If these turtles hadn’t been hit they would have lived a long and prosperous life, swimming thousands of kilometres and seeing many wonders of the oceans that us humans can only dream of. Please, if you are visiting the islands or any area where you know there are turtles present, ask your boat driver to slow down and take care.
Accident can happen anywhere and anytime. Just be careful and always cautious. Kemalangan boleh berlaku dimana-mana tanpa mengira masa. Pandu berhemah dan sentiasa berhati-hati. Ingatlah mereka yang tersayang. 🐢🐢🐢
Just 1 in 10, 000 hatchlings will make it to this age and in an instant these strong individuals were gone. We are in a race against extinction or MELAWAN ARUS KEPUPUSAN but with everyone’s effort we can surely turn the tide.
Pictures courtesy of Margaux and Kri.
Jabatan Taman Laut Malaysia
Jabatan Laut Malaysia
#penyuwarrior #perhentianturtleproject #protectwhatyoulove #perikananTerengganu #cintaiPerhentian #saveourseaturtles #boatstrike #mortality #1in1000 #greenturtle #racingextinction
