200,000 baby turtles released

DUNGUN: Some 200,000 baby turtles have been released into the sea so far this year, said Rantau Panjang’s Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre head Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Kadir. He said the number was from 200 hatcheries in 18 places throughout Terengganu, Malaysia. “Turtle landings this year also have been the highest in a decade. “In Pantai Geliga, Kemaman for example, only between 300 and 600 nests were recorded annually from 2000 till 2009 but this year the number has risen drastically to 1,391,” he said.

He told this to reporters after a ceremony which saw the releasing of 2,428 baby turtles at Rantau Abang beach recently. The event, which was officiated by Terengganu Infrastructure Development and Public Amenities Committee chairman and witnessed by schoolchildren and nearby residents, entered the Malaysia Book of Records for the most number of turtles released into the sea in one occasion.
— Bernama