A young boy participating in a turtle release event on Layan Beach, Phuket.
With steady hands and quickening steps, we carried the green sea turtles one-by-one to the beach. The turtles were flapping their flippers impatiently, as if sensing their imminent release. We placed them down carefully at the point where the waves hit the sand. Soon, the water embraced their bodies — nature’s call for them to return to their natural home. They dashed into the sea, and, after a few minutes, disappeared from our sight.
Young and old, everybody on the beach had a smile on their faces. Children shouted “bye bye” to the turtles with their hands waving high.
Thirty green sea turtles were released at the third annual turtle release project recently organised by Anantara Layan Phuket Resort on Layan Beach in Phuket just before Songkran. About 70 participants and spectators joined the event that aims to preserve marine life and raise awareness about animal conservation.
“The children really enjoyed their turtle release experience,” said Frederic Varnier, managing director at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort. “It was a good opportunity to educate them about sea turtles and the threats they face. It also helps in making them feel connected to us and our beach in a way that other activities cannot.”
The population of sea turtles has been decreasing in recent years due to human activities, as told by several specialists on the day. These marine animals were once a part of local cuisine. Their eggs were eaten, and the shells made into ornaments.
“We’ve been monitoring the amount of turtle nests through the years, and we’re getting fewer of them nowadays. Ten years ago, we may have more than 10 nests along the beach. Now, one to two nests would be lucky,” said Kittipan Sabkhoon, manager of Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation in Phuket.
The fishing industry also affects the turtles. If they get tangled up in a net underwater, turtles can eventually drown as they need to come up for air. They could also lose a flipper or two trying to shake off the net in order to survive.
Indirectly, humans’ bad habits of littering — whether on the beach or down to the sea — also pollutes the water. Turtles and other sea animals can consume the trash unknowingly, which could lead to indigestion and possibly death. Combining human activities and the turtle’s natural predators together, sea turtles’ chance of survival is very low. Only one to two turtles out of 1,000 survive into adulthood, reaching 14-15 years old — an age they can reproduce their own new generation of turtles.
Aiming to rectify the situation, Hirun Kanghae — fishery biologist at Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) — and his team now run a turtle nursery in order to strengthen the baby turtles and increase their chances of survival. The turtles used in the release programme at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort were all raised in a nursery at PMBC.
Each year, the centre takes in around 500 green sea turtles from the marine stationed on Koh Huyong — also known as Island 1 in Similan Islands National Park of Andaman Sea — which is a spot green sea turtles often lay eggs. Tourists are not allowed to enter this island.
After female turtles build a nest and lay eggs on the beach, the marine relocates the whole nest to a protected area. After around 50 days, the eggs hatch. Baby turtles — aged no more than 15 days — are then picked up by the PMBC staffs at the port.
At the nursery, the turtles are raised within tanks, receiving adequate food and specialists’ constant care. After a year, when their shells are at least 20cm long, their bodies weigh over 2kg and their blood count and flippers are in great condition, they are released back into the sea — usually in release events similar to the one at Anantara. The turtles can be released anytime from November to April — a period without monsoon weather.
“As we raise them for the purpose of preservation, we want them to be healthy and big enough to protect themselves. Predators like blacktip reef sharks or blue sharks won’t be able to eat the turtles if the turtles are big. If they could live unscathed from the fishing industry, we predict that 60-70% of our sea turtles should survive into adulthood and come back to lay eggs,” said Hirun.
PMBC has operated the nursery and provided aid in various release programmes for over a decade. However, decent monitoring procedures were only put in place a few years ago. Hirun reported that, through an aerial survey, the team has seen an increasing amount of turtles since 2012 when only 10-20 turtles would be spotted per flight. In 2016, about 60 turtles are seen during each flight, though it is unclear whether they’re turtles that have survived on their own or are ones raised by the centre.
Each turtle raised by the PMBC is now planted with a microchip and an identification tag. The metal tag, fitted on the front flipper, lasts about five years, and the planted microchip stays for life. A scanner is required to read each individual microchip. Due to a limited budget, however, the data can’t be provided in real-time as the satellite system could provide.
The release programme, to Hirun, is rather symbolic. He believes this activity creates a link and empathy for humans to feel loved and protective of the turtles.
“The true success for our efforts would be for the turtles to come back and lay eggs. And to achieve that, the best conservation method would be for government institutions, the private sector and — most importantly — the people to join hands together to protect their own resources,” said Hirun.
Phuket is famous as a popular destination for tourists in the Southern part of Thailand. People are attracted by its picturesque beaches and sea activities. Not enough of the visitors to the island, or the people charged with maintaining the island, however, are aware of the rapidly worsening condition — a result from years of mutilation at the hands of humans.
“About 60% of our coral reefs are wrecked,” reported Hirun. “And the trash level in the sea has increased from 2% to 10%. Take a dive today, and you could find a packet of instant noodles, cigarette stubs and condoms at the bottom of the sea. Construction and tourism also invade sea animals’ habitats and nesting sites. What if all of this continues to deteriorate each year — like a woman who is raped and left to rot and die? Who could convince you to return to this place in the future?”
Many private businesses along Phuket’s beaches are now taking steps in limiting the impact of their hospitality practices on marine life. For example, at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, all activities being offered at sea are non-invasive and non-motorised to prevent disruption towards local marine life. Guests wouldn’t see loud scooters or banana boats near this portion of the beach.
“We don’t want to pollute the beach through leaking oil, exhaust gas or noise,” said the resort’s managing director Varnier.
A group of hotels in the Mai Khao beach area of Phuket have taken a step further by signing an agreement pledging their support towards sea turtle conservation. The JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa — one of the pledging resorts — now hosts the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation (MKMTF) within its grounds.
In March, the foundation opened its turtle shelter and education centre, which now takes care of injured turtles and welcomes visitors to learn more about different species of sea turtles and the conditions they’re facing.
Most of the visitors are now children, which should help in educating young minds early on for them to grow up to become responsible adults.
All turtles from Phuket Marine Biological Centre are fitted with an identification tag, as well as a microchip implant.
Young visitors enjoy seeing turtles at the shelter and education centre.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.