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Environmental and Humanities Committee (EHC) of Kuala Lumpur Bar Organised Turtle Hatchlings Release At Cherating

On this day, 17th July 2010, the Environmental and Humanities Committee (EHC) took a big step in environmental conservation. They organised a trip to the Turtle Sanctuary at Cherating to see first hand problems surrounding the possible extinction of a reptilian species still roaming the face of the Earth- the turtles. The presence of 36 participants was involved in this mission, comprising mainly of lawyers from the EHC.

The existence of the turtle can be traced back to the Jurassic Era. It could have survived the end-Permian extinction, the greatest mass extinction in fossil history. But why should we bother about the turtle? Turtles are one of the very few creatures that eat a type of vegetation called sea grass that grows on the ocean floor. In so doing, sea grasses are kept short to remain healthy. Beds of healthy sea grass are essential breeding grounds for many species of fish and other marine life. The absence or decline of healthy sea grass beds would mean a loss or decline of the marine species that directly depend on them which would trigger a chain reaction and negatively impact marine and human life. When one part of an ecosystem is destroyed, the other parts will self-destruct of course. The result could be devastating if we continue to hunt down turtles for their soup, eggs, and supposed aphrodisiac properties.

If we stretch the importance of the turtle a little, it is an important component in terms of a sustainable environment. Without a sustainable environment, we are nothing as humankind will be doomed.

This frightening prospect has led EHC to take the initiative to lead opinion in order to rethink about our treatment of turtles as much as we rethink about our approaches to energy saving and other forms of environmental conservation. It boils down to the question of our survival.

Hence the EHC-organised trip to the Turtle Sanctuary is to meet at least three objectives. The first is to correct the easy perception that the issue is one of extinction which will mean the end of tourist attractions. In this narrow context, extinction is always confused with disappearance. The very word ‘Sanctuary’ carries with it a sense of protection which enjoins us to differentiate the real from the apparent. That is to say as a matter of our survival we have to take steps to save the turtles. EHC has taken and held on to this position strongly despite all the talk about turtles being the focus of tourist attraction, and whose private life (laying eggs ) is something to be displayed publicly for the sake of short term economic gains.

The second is to improve upon the state of general knowledge as regards turtles so that as part of its awareness programme, EHC would be well placed to raise the level of consciousness on some of the larger issues on environmental protection. In this context the trip to the Sanctuary incorporated a briefing and documentary session at its Information Centre, whereby much engagement took place in the form of many questions and answers that would eventually chip away many of our points of ignorance prior to the session. Concepts such as tagging a turtle and implanting a GPS (Grid Positioning System) on them for purpose of scientific research and the astronomical costs involved were some of the consciousness raisers. It was also interesting to note at the session that world-wide we have seven (7) species of turtles and of these seven we have four (4) frequenting the shores of Malaysia namely: Desmochelys coriacea (hawkbill turtles), Chelonia mydas (green turtles), Lepidochelys olivacea, and Eretmochelys imbricate.

The third is to improvise a plan of action to save the turtles. How do we do that? EHC calls on everyone not to eat turtle eggs, not to destroy habitats meant for these reptilian creatures, stop the use of fishing methods and equipment that could inadvertently deprive the turtles their level of oxygen supply, stop the oil spill, stop treating the oceans as a rubbish dump, stop exacerbating light-sensitive activities that could discourage turtles to secure their spots for laying eggs. Acting on the conviction of their belief in this plan of action, all the participants released a total of fifty (50) turtle hatchlings on to the shores of Cherating for them to roam the South China Sea and beyond.

According to scientific opinion they only have one-in-a-thousand chance of survival. They could be gobbled up by much larger marine life-forms or swallowed unknowingly by sharks or whales and all the EHC-sponsored hatchings would be gone and come to nothing. If Charles Darwin was correct, their chances of survival were fractional in the hierarchical food chain. If so, does that mean such a ritualistic release of the hatchlings was futile and at most symbolic? I venture to say ‘no’ because all the participants in the programme prefer to think in aggregate, and they hope to have more of this in future.

As they believe too that you can and would help save the turtles as they are part of us.

Contributed by Roger Chan Weng Keng

Pictures courtesy of Seira Sacha