Turtle conservation in Sandakan’s Libaran island is expected to get a boost from the setting up of a new hatchery recently.
The new AquaGoat Sea Turtle Hatchery, which started operating on Sept 30, immediately received a visit from two turtles which laid their eggs there.
Friends Of Sea Turtles Education and Research (Foster) president Alexander Yee said the new hatchery can accommodate up to 100 nests, with the average nest usually containing 60 to 75 eggs.
“Needless to say, we were ecstatic to have two sea turtle landings right after we completed the construction of this new hatchery barely a few hours earlier,” he said on Sunday (Oct 3).
“We are excited to have this new hatchery here as our work with locals in protecting and conserving these protected species requires all the help we can get,” he said.
Yee added that the construction of the hatchery was made possible with funding from United States-based company AquaGoat Finance.