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| Sunday, July 05, 2009, 07.56 PM | |||||
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Home » TravelNews
The moment is simply worth waiting patiently for to capture. But one doesn’t have to brave the open ocean to do so. It’s all done in the comfort of the Rantau Abang Turtle Sanctuary in Terengganu. One will immediately agree that the creature – the Hawksbill Turtle - that teases the camera lens with its sheer beauty, is the most beautiful of all marine turtles. Considering its declining number, to get a sighting is still a rare privilege. The Hawksbill Turtle is listed as “an endangered species” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and as “critically endangered” by the World Conservation Union. Data from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) shows that there are only about 15,000 female Hawksbill Turtles worldwide. According to a 2005 record estimate by the American Fish and Wildlife Service, these turtles make about 1,000 nests in Malaysia each year. An average 130 eggs are found per nest while a Hawksbill Turtle can lay about 1,000 eggs a year. The Hawksbill population around the world is threatened by human hunting practices for its flesh and shell as well as the dwindling quality of its natural habitat. About one-third of the nests in Malaysia are found in and around Malacca, with Pulau Upeh as the most popular spot. Besides this, other nesting sites are the beaches in Terengganu, some islands in Johor and the Turtle Islands in Sabah. During the off-peak season, one turtle landing is recorded every three nights on average, and one on every other night during the peak season. The nesting season peaks in June and July.
 
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