Guest guest Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 New Straits Times » Local No sign of Olive Ridley Ajitpal Singh DUNGUN, Fri 11th Nov. 2005 -- For the first time in six years, the Olive Ridley turtle has not nested anywhere along Terengganu's 225km coastline. And of the Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles, only one landing each was recorded by the Turtle Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec) in Rantau Abang, here. This is an alarming sign that Terengganu's beaches have lost their appeal for these shelled creatures. Including the Green turtle, four of the world's seven marine turtle species usually land here during the nesting season between July and September. They are protected under wildlife conservation laws, and the Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered. Tumec's statistics show the number of nesting Olive Ridley turtles have been declining, from six in 2001 to three last year. The only leatherback landing this year was recorded at the Geliga beach where it laid 90 eggs. The Hawksbill which landed on the same beach did not nest. " For the past 40 years, we have released more than a million hatchlings into the sea but our records indicate that they are not returning to Terengganu, " Tumec director Dr Kamaruddin Ibrahim, said today. " I suspect that poaching activities in other countries may have caused the number of turtle landings in Terengganu to decline. " He also said the drop might be due to the nesting cycle. " These marine creatures do not nest every year. We expect more turtles to land next year, " he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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