Tender care: Sabah Parks employees gathering the turtle hatchlings for release in Kota Kinabalu.
KOTA KINABALU: Over a hundred hawksbill turtle hatchlings have been released into the sea off Pulau Tiga, Kuala Penyu, some three hours’ drive from here.
The 128 hatchlings were released on April 18 by Sabah Parks officials following about two months of incubation.
Photos and information about the release were shared on Sabah Parks website.
Its director Maklarin Lakim said he hoped that these hatchlings would be able to survive in the open sea, adding that the turtles were a protected species.
He said Sabah Parks would continue to protect and preserve endangered species such as hawksbill turtles and urged the community to continue working together to reach this common goal.
Named after their narrow, pointed beak, hawksbill turtles are critically endangered due to their slow growth and maturity, and low reproductive rates.
They are hunted for their ornate shells.
