Turtles need a hospital

 

PETALING JAYA: Pollution, and not poaching, is the main cause for the dwindling turtle population.

Tengku Arif Temenggong (TAT) Turtle Sanctuary co-founder Datin Rowena Baker said more turtles are dying due to pollution, where foreign objects left in the sea have contributed to the death of the animals.

Mistakenly eating items such as plastic bags and bottle caps, the garbage blocks the turtles’ intestinal tract, hence choking them to death.

Shattered: The green turtle found with part of its shell broken in Pulau Tioman on Saturday died after succumbing to internal injuries. — Photo courtesy of Kevin Chan

 

“What is worse is that there are currently no dedicated rehabilitation centres, or turtle hospitals, to treat injured turtles in the country.

“This means that all this while, the ill turtles on our shores have had very little chance of survival as we do not have the facilities to treat them,” said Baker.

On Saturday, the turtle sanctuary – which operates in Pulau Tioman – attempted to resuscitate a green turtle found with part of its shell broken.

Suspected to have been hit by a speedboat, it died shortly after due to internal injuries.

Baker said she had sought advice from a turtle rehabilitation centre in Greece – the Archelon Rescue – via e-mail, but it was too late to save the young turtle.

A retired professor in conservation biology in Kuala Lumpur also echoed the need for a turtle hospital.

“Under the Fisheries Act, injured turtles must be surrendered to the Fisheries Department for rehabilitation.

“As far as I know, there is no place in Malay­sia where expert care can be given to ill turtles,” said Prof Chan Eng Heng, who has carried out research and conservation work on marine turtles since the 1980s.

“There are just too many cases of wild turtles that were not well that died due to the lack of expert medical attention,” Chan added.

He also noted that there were currently only a handful of turtle hospitals worldwide.

On Aug 13, The Star reported that the defiling of the ocean had increased the risk of hatchlings being born with deformities.

The report said that the turtles – mostly born without eyes – failed to survive beyond three days due to the physical defects.

Baker also listed fishing mishaps, such as accidental trapping of a turtle in a net or by a fishing hook, as the other major hazard that causes turtle injuries.

By LEE YEN MUN
yenmun@thestar.com.my

Tuesday August 24, 2010