Leatherback Turtles 'not coming back'

Some time ago, I sent a critical letter to the press regarding Mr. Kamaruddin Ibrahim of the Turtle Marine Ecosystem Center (TUMEC) efforts to revive the leatherback turtle
population.

Our dear friend suggested that we buy leatherback eggs from neighbouring countries and incubate them on our shores... hopefully 20 years later, they'll come back and nest on our shores. Then what? start having tourists back on these beaches to harrass them poor turtles again... I mean, that if it is even remotely possible to bring back the population.

I was aghast that the agency responsible for our country's turtle conservation programme is led by such an uninformed person as Kamaruddin. This is the same person who wanted to build a massive RM 10m penal colony for turtles on an island lagoon 'to protect young hatchlings from predators and ensure their growth to adulthood'.

Mr. Kamarudin, I think you should just return to what you do best... fish farming.

However, the press didn't publish my letter. Hillary (of the Star) told me that critical letters usually don't get published, unless if the section is dry. Ahhh, Malaysia... How I love thee.

Fortunately, the papers did publish Prof. Chan Eng Heng's (a dedicated turtle conservationist & environmentalist) comment's on Kamaruddin's effort. They were pretty much the same as what I said in my unpublished letters... but I reckon, the press would rather have 'qualified professional' opinions. Read the article below. Anyway, I am glad that her comments were published... someone needs to give Kamaruddin a good knock on the head, and I will be glad to loan Prof. Chan 'spanky' for that purpose.



ps: visit Prof. Chan's SEATRU website to see exactly what she is up to with the turtles.

pps: in case you don't know yet... yes I am a turtlenik.


Leatherback turtles ‘not coming back’
08 Jun 2006
By Nisha Sabanayagam

KUALA LUMPUR: It is time to say goodbye to the leather-back turtle. It is on the point of extinction and is not going to make a comeback.

The head of the Marine Turtle Project at Kolej University Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia, Professor Chan Eng Heng, said: "It is sad but we have to face reality. We should not be in denial."

Yesterday, the New Straits Times reported that there was still hope for the leatherback turtle.

Director of the Turtle Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec), Kamaruddin Ibrahim, had said that of the half-a-million hatchlings released from 1961 to 2001, it was hoped that some would return to Rantau Abang, Terengganu, in the next few years.

After three to five years, leatherback turtles periodically return to their birthplace to lay their eggs.

Chan said the leatherbacks are not returning in the numbers expected and experts cannot really say why.

The population drop is compounded by the fact that most of the hatchlings released between the 1960s and the 1980s were female, a result of the "open air" hatchery practice at that time.

When incubated at high temperatures, leatherback eggs produce females.

Experts are also aware that since 2000, none of the eggs laid on Terengganu’s beaches were fertilised because there were so few males.

Chan said the time had come to consider sustaining the populations of other turtle species, such as the green turtle, and freshwater species like the river terrapin and the painted terrapin.