A large female turtle was spotted this morning at the beach of Tanjung Bungah, just between Paradise Hotel and Dalat International School.
It was an uncommon sight as they do not usually lay their eggs on this beach. Turtles are known to return to the same beach each time they lay their eggs. The nearest known beach chosen by turtles to lay eggs would be at Pantai Kerachut.
As per the video, it was said to be a leatherback. We cannot confirm the species with our limited knowledge on the video but it could be a green sea turtle which is more common in this area.
After laying her eggs, the turtle slowly crept towards the sea while several onlookers are seen filming this natural phenomenon.
It was a happy moment as they cheered on the turtle as it disappears into the sea. A rare sight indeed!
Turtles are known to dig many decoy holes when they sense human or animal presence. It’s a really tiring job so it’s best to keep a distance as not to stress them and best to call Turtle Conservation and Information Center at 04-657 2777. They are part of the Department of Fisheries.
The staff from the center arrived later in the afternoon and retrieved about 70 eggs to be brought back to the center.
