Hi all,
This morning, Mum and I got up and went to check out the Sandakan Sunday market. Unfortunately there were groups of men hanging around making revolting noises at us, so we did our best “go away and leave us alone” face and steered clear where possible. Aside from that, we had a good time. We saw lots of different stalls and the waterfront of Sandakan. The weather was beautiful too which was nice.
Then we met the group and we all walked to the ferry terminal for the turtle islands. We split in half for the 45 minute journey by small boat.
We arrived at the beautiful Selingaan Island, which is part of the turtle islands park. The park is comprised of ten islands - three in Malaysia and seven that belong to the Phillipines. We can see the Phillipines from our island which is pretty cool.
After checking in to our room we had lunch, hired snorkel gear and went for a swim. The sand and water was beautiful, and Mum and I enjoyed some snorkelling for the next hour or so. The current was strong but if you started up one end, it carried you back to all our belongings. I had a great time seeing lots of fish including a rainbow one and some clownfish seeking refuge in their anemone. They’re my favourite so I watched them for quite a while. Unfortunately I then saw a couple of jelly fish, so I got out after that!! We did three circuits, and also picked up some plastic bottles which we threw in the bin on the way back.
Mum and I went for a quick walk around the island. We saw two water monitors, and then went back and had a shower.
At 5, our group met for a walk around the island to collect rubbish. Even though this is done every day here, we found lots of rubbish. Mostly straws, lollipop sticks and polystyrene. We collected two big bags and then sat and watched the sunset which was beautiful.
Then we went to the turtle information centre and watched a short film about the turtles, followed by dinner. Then began our wait for the turtles to come.
From the exhibition and Ned I learned a lot of interesting information about the turtles. Sea turtles have been around for approximately 200 million years, and survived whatever happened to the dinosaurs. Thirty species have already become extinct, and seven are left. Due to threats such as pollution and predators (water monitors, ants etc), in 1966 hatcheries were setup here (Selingaan Island first) to help turtles hatch safely and head into the water. In 1977 it was declared a national park.
First of all, they tried letting the turtles grow a bit and then releasing them, but it was found that the turtles then became dependent on the turtle centre for food and kept coming back. So nowadays, the mother turtles come and hatch their eggs, the eggs are left to incubate on the island, and once they hatch they are released at night here to try and avoid as many predators as possible. Another reason for release at night is that turtles are quite sensitive to light. If the moon is too bright, they won’t come and lay eggs. Strangely, the temperature the eggs are exposed to determines the gender of the turtle. 27 degrees and above = female, under 27 degrees = male.
Through data collected here, it’s been found that 60-70% of the eggs hatch. Once released into the ocean, sadly only 1% survive. If they do survive, they travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres away from where they hatched. They feed on seaweed and once they hit the age of 20 can mate and lay eggs themselves until they are around 35 years old. Apparently due to magnetic crystals in their heads (I’ll have to research this once home!) they can head home to the same beach they hatched at like a GPS to lay eggs of their own. Each female usually lays around 100-130 eggs in one go, and can lay around seven clutches of eggs each nesting season (April to August) with two week gaps in between. After this time is over, they have a rest from laying for 3-5 years before laying eggs again during another nesting season. The eggs take 45-60 days to hatch depending on sand temperature and the whole cycle begins again.
At about 10.30 we got the call that the turtles were coming in. We went and saw two laying some eggs (we had to come back on two separate occasions). While the program is great, I questioned the ethics of it at this point. Things certainly weren’t done in the way that they would be at home. A bright light was shone on the turtle and we were so close to it that we spooked it and it only laid a few eggs. The ranger said this was also due to the thunder and lightning going on as well. I would have felt better if we were further away. Alas, we then got to release some baby turtles into the ocean which was super special. May the odds be in their favour!!
Love to all
Claire
Xoxox
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