Turtles galore

Turtle nesting at TRACC is commonplace,  with a nest almost every week through the year, there is a great spectacle of National Geographic proportions happening all the time. This year 2016, we have had nesting turtles since January and yesterday (22-09-2016) in a stroke of good fortune, we had two females emerge to nest within a few metres and a few minutes of each other.

Moving 100+kg across the sand on your belly is hard work.

  Standing within metres of a nesting female as she scrabbles through the bushes puts wild life and wild places into perspective.  For me, its amazing that all TRACC staff and volunteers can get up close to real endangered species that have been on the planet for millions of years.  These are real experiences of life on the planet - upclose and personal, rather than images carried by the internet to millions of people.


A short distance down the beach from the TRACC camp and it is easy to imagine that Sir David Attenborough is also on the beach - talking to the cameras that will carry the images of prehistoric reptiles across the world.

Chambering involves digging with the back flippers.

Volunteers and students who are seeing these amazing creatures for the first few times are always suitably impressed but the excitement for the staff varies in intensity depending on how much sand the turtle throws.  It is always a balance, shower at the end of a diving  day, or wait to shower after being covered in sand and turtle mucus.  There is still a great sense of achievement as the new turtle nest is dug in the hatchery where the eggs will be safe until the hatchlings are released to run down the sand to the sea.

Collecting the eggs into the bucket

We are so lucky to have these opportunities,  a few years ago getting to Pom Pom Island and turtle nesting beaches was a logistical nightmare.  Now transport and access is easy, our role is to balance the needs of the turtles so that tourism and development actually benefits these wonderful reptiles.

A job well done, eggs safely into the hatchery. 

 More

Turtle Hatching on Pom Pom | TRACC Borneo Volunteers

 

 

Turtle Nesting on Pom Pom Island | TRACC Borneo Volunteers

 

A typical day as a turtle volunteer | TRACC Borneo Volunteers

 

 

 

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If you want to help with any marine conservation activity please check out our website tracc.org or e-mail iinfo@tracc-borneo.org

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Turtle, shark or Reef conservation would not be possible without the generous financial support. We thank GEF/SPG for Malaysia who are helping our community activities, and coralreefcare.com who generously provide materials to build more reefs.   

If visits to Tracc are not possible then please help with financial support and follow our projects on facebook

Turtle Walk Anyone?

Turtle hatched

During my internship at TRACC, I had the opportunity to save hundreds of turtles eggs  (Yes, you read that right!). These turtle eggs were saved from evil poachers who sell them for a profit despite the alarming decline of the population of turtles. The collected turtle eggs are safely kept at the Pom Pom Hatchery until they are hatched and released to the ocean. Side note: Did you know that the survival rate of turtles eggs is 0.1%? Yeah! That's crazy but true! That's why "turtle walks" are important at TRACC.

Tourist Swarming Over Turtle hatching

When I first heard about "turtle walk" , I thought it meant walking around the island with turtles. (I still think that would have been cool). In reality, turtle walk meant patrolling the island to spot turtle nests. Sometimes I get the late shift (we rotate) but it's really worth the effort if you actually  find a nest! Even better if you have the chance to witness a turtle hatch - when all the hatched turtles are released into the ocean.  Funny, but doing turtle walk helped me realize how fragile but beautiful life is. After conducting countless turtle walks during my internship, I've come to realize that I can actually spot turtles miles away (I wish I'm kidding). Even while I'm diving in the deep blue ocean, I can still spot turtles far away!  I wished more people had awareness about turtles. I still can't forget the time I saw my first dead turtle washed on the shore because of choking on plastic.

In case you're wondering how we do our turtle walks, well we take shifts during the week to walk around the island. Fear not, we usually do it in pairs to avoid loneliness!

At TRACC, you can get hands on experience doing conservation work. Where else can you actually be within metres of a turtle laying eggs? It's honestly an experience you can't replicate (also makes a really cool story). We are also provided enough briefing and training to understand the process. 

Go Little One!

Turtle walks have definitely changed me to be more aware of my actions and how it impacts the environment. I would definitely recommend turtle walk experience at TRACC to all my friends. For a cheap cost I not only get to save turtles but also dive multiple times a day. Food is actually good too! I can't wait to come back next year.

For a chance to help volunteer and conduct turtle walks yourself

For more information, please check our website or e-mail info@tracc-borneo.org

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