Turtle eggs set to hatch in Manukan Island, Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Over a hundred turtles are expected to hatch within the next three months after a turtle laid her eggs at the Manukan Island near here recently.

Recorded by a Sabah Parks staffer, the Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), an endangered and protected species in Sabah, laid 128 eggs on Wednesday.

Muhammad Aliff Suhaimin took photos of the eggs and recorded the details that were later posted on the Sabah Parks Facebook page.

The eggs were then transferred and incubated near the Manukan Island office.

Turtle eggs normally take around 80 to 90 days to incubate, depending on the temperature and other climatic conditions.

Sabah Parks director Maklarin Lakim said the presence of turtles on islands around the city, including on Manukan Island, have increased in the last couple of years.

He said previously, turtles were sighted around here but seldom did they land on the islands close to human habitation to lay eggs.

“We see that the trend changed during the pandemic, when there was minimal human activity on these islands,” he said.