Group makes first mother turtle tagging

KOTA KINABALU: The first mother turtle has been tagged at Libaran Island off Sandakan by a non-governmental organisation - Foster (Friends Of Sea Turtles Education & Research) on Sunday.

Foster president Alexander Yee said they have been working closely with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) on a turtle hatchery for the past three years.

“The turtle landings on the island have seen a marked increase and we have released over 30,000 baby turtles from this hatchery”, he said.

Yee said the department has suggested the move to tag the turtles and it is a significant milestone for this programme.

He said the taggings allowed researchers to monitor the movement of turtles.

University Malaysia Sabah lecturer and researcher Dr. James Alhin, who is also adviser to Foster, said the tagging was important for them to be able to carry out scientific work.

“The tag marks the turtle and allows us to identify her when she visits other shores or returns to Libaran”, he said.

In the event, a green turtle weighing about 180kg came ashore and laid 74 eggs on the beach.

It was only after she laid her eggs that the researchers measured and tagged her before releasing her back to the sea.