A total of 118 Hawksbill baby turtles were released at Tempurong Golden Beach Resort, Kuala Penyu on 20 May 2018, after being hatched at the hatching ground.
First sighted on March 13, the turtle eggs are found on the beaches by villagers and brought to the resort for safe guarding until it hatches. This is definitely the efforts to bring back turtles to Kuala Penyu – as marine turtles are set to make a comeback here through the joint-initiatives by the District Office, State Wildlife Department and its people.
Being the first resort to have a turtle hatchery, the Tempurong Golden Beach Resort has been working closely with the villagers to protect the sea turtles. The hatchery was initiated by the Tempurong Golden Beach Resort, and the release was witnessed by Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), Wildlife Department, Kuala Penyu District Officer just to name a few.
It has been an honour for STGA to be part of this turtle release programme since the early stages, where we have been through the planning stages with Jack Koh, the resort owner, as ideas and in kind contributions were made. For having the best of eco-tourism, we must cooperate and do our best to preserve these turtle, where it can not only attract tourists, but also researchers and turtle enthusiasts. The community want the baby turtles to get imprinted in this beach so they will return to nest here in the future as well.
Perhaps most members are unaware of this turtle releasing programme that STGA supports since its launch. Now, let us bring you back in time, where it started in 2015. Sabah Tourist Guides Association (STGA) has embarked on its first sustainable eco-tourism project at Tempurong, Kuala Penyu, on April 28 at Tempurong Golden Beach Resort.
Sign off,
Chloe 🙂
