Turtle Hatchery

Our second stop on our tuk tuk tour was a sea turtle hatchery and rescue center. Here, we viewed various injured turtles undergoing rehabilitation in tanks. We saw green turtles, hawksbill turtles, loggerhead turtles, and olive ridley turtles. A number of them had missing limbs, and others were undergoing rehabilitation for cracked shells caused by collisions with boats. One of them could not dive because it been bloated by swallowing plastic, which they mistake for jellyfish, their favorite food source.

Also on the premises were three batches of turtle eggs, numbering over 300 in total, incubating in a protected area. When they hatch, the staff will bring them to the ocean. I was already aware of this grim statistic, but I was reminded that only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood. It was sobering to fathom that there is a possibility that none of the incubating baby turtles in the hatchery would make it.

Overall, this was an enlightening visit and I was happy to pay the 1,500 rupee entrance fee to support this cause. The only thing I disliked was that the staff there allowed visitors to touch some of the turtles. In Hawaii, we are conditioned to keep our distance from wildlife as it is illegal to touch or harass wild fauna.Read more