Rantau Abang beach draws another leatherback turtle to lay eggs

The Rantau Abang beach here has once again drawn attention as a leatherback turtle came ashore to lay eggs in the early hours of this morning.

Fisheries department director-general Adnan Hussain said the latest landing by the world’s largest turtle species was the fifth recorded along the Terengganu coast since September.

The turtle came ashore at about 3am, laid its eggs at 4.30am and returned to the sea at around 5.45am as the tide came in.

A total of 48 eggs were collected and transferred to a controlled hatchery at the Rantau Abang Turtle Conservation and Information Centre (TCIC) at 7am for monitoring.

“This brings the total number of leatherback turtle eggs recorded from the five landings to 313,” he said in a statement today.

The first landing was recorded at Pantai Pasir Putih, Marang on Sept 1, yielding 44 eggs, followed by the second at Pantai Rantau Abang on Sept 13, with 81 eggs.

The third landing occurred at Pantai Kuala Abang on Sept 22, producing 70 eggs, while the fourth was recorded at Pantai Jambu Bongkok on Oct 1, also with 70 eggs.

Adnan said an examination of the latest landing site found a turtle track measuring about 2.1m wide and 15m long, while the original nest was approximately 110cm deep.

He added that TCIC personnel were also able to measure the leatherback turtle at the landing site.

Monitoring and patrols are being carried out in collaboration with the Rantau Abang Fisheries Research Institute (IPP) to monitor landing sites and protect turtle nests and eggs.

“This collaboration supports the fisheries department’s efforts to strengthen field monitoring and ensure the continued implementation of conservation measures,” he said.

He added that controlled egg management, nest monitoring and the protection of landing sites were crucial to turtle conservation, particularly for species facing threats to their survival.

Public cooperation was also essential to these efforts.

The department urged the public not to disturb turtles coming ashore, take their eggs or damage their nests. Any turtle sightings or nest discoveries should be reported immediately to the fisheries department for further action.

The protection of turtles and their eggs is governed by relevant laws, including the Fisheries Act 1985 (Act 317) and the Terengganu Turtle Enactment.

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