In Remote Indonesia, Visit to Green Sea Turtle Hatchery Saves "Max"
This is Max, at about 12 hours old, windmilling his flippers in the air. He (or perhaps she) is one of 100 baby green sea turtles I helped release into the sea.
While the adult Chelonia mydas has only a few known predators -- sharks, leopards (in Africa), and man -- a baby sea turtle's early life is one of grave danger. The statistics are abominable: An average of one or two hatchlings from 1,000 eggs will reach the 30-50 year reproduction age.
Pangumbahan Turtle Park, a green sea turtle hatchery in Ujung Genteng, Indonesia aims to reduce these high death statistics for the endangered species, and to give hatchlings a fighting chance.
Surfing and Turtles
As part of my four month surf- and eco-tourism trip in Asia, I combined the hatchery with a visit to the aptly named off-the-beaten-track surf spot "Turtles."Every few years, a local told me, surfers paddle over a turtle the size of a car.
Although it was difficult to get to, for just $1, I saw a majestic algae-covered female lay her eggs and introduced Max (who I named on the spot) to the great wide ocean.
Photo: Mairi Beautyman
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