| | I was away for a week last week in Malacca. I wasn't there for a holiday but rather to become a volunteer on a not-so-well-known-project. It's the WWF Conservation of Hawksbill Turtles & Painted Terrapins project in Malacca. Most people are not aware that turtles and terrapins in Malaysia are highly or critically endangered. This project is meant to increase the existing number of turtles in the wild by means of collecting their eggs, incubating them and releasing the hatchlings back into the sea. It is said that the hatchlings will return to the very same beach they were released from, to lay eggs once they reach the mature age. Amazing isn't it? On top of that, a Hawksbill turtle has to reach the age of 20 before it is considered mature and capable of reproducing. So if you're planning on collecting the eggs to consume or sell, think again. Not only is it illegal to do so, you're robbing 20 years away and it'll be up to a point when there are no more turtles and eggs. From thousands of Leatherback turtle landings in Rantau Abang in the 70s and 80s, it has dwindled to only 1 landing last year and it didn't even nest!
I arrived in Malacca on Sunday in the afternoon and the weather was really hot, coastal areas are probably hotter I guess. Our house was located in Pengkalan Balak, nearby was the Terendak army camp. Our daily duties included patroling the beaches in the 3 different locations according to the schedule. They are Pasir Gembur/Padang Kemunting, Kem Terendak and Pulau Upeh. Kem Terendak probably has the longest beaches to patrol and Pulau Upeh is a small island with a resort built on it but has been abandoned. Work was from 9.00pm - 5.30am. If a turtle is spotted, we wait for it to lay the eggs, the licensed egg collector does his job, we measure and record the turtle, release it and relocate the eggs to the hatchery. We occasionally bump into poachers along the beach, sometimes under the cover of the dark but you can spot them from the glow and smell of the cigarette. You get to sleep in the morning till noon so we had to adjust our biological clocks. Now I know how the job a bank guard feels like. There weren't many turtle landings and even if there were, photographs couldn't be taken because these are shy animals. They'll run back to the sea if you disturb them unless if you're using some sort of night vision camera. It's a waste I can't show any pictures of turtles here.
One week of volunteer work here was worth every second. If you have a week of time of more to spare, you can be a volunteer too. Just keep in mind, there's no hot shower, air-cond or washing machine here, hehe. Oh yeah, did I mention polystyrene containers are not allowed for take-aways? We use tupperwares for that purpose. For more info on the project and to volunteer you can click here and here.
And here they are, some pictures from Pulau Upeh:
On the boat to Pulau Upeh, small yellow dot is the moon
Jumping lights
Firdaus, Maisarah, Pak Ali(boat owner), Rosli and me
View of the abandoned resort at night from the jetty
Along the jetty at night
Under the bright moon light
Can you spot the Eye on Malaysia?
Pulau Upeh jetty early in the morning
Pulau Upeh beach
Rocky and littered with sea shells, a tree in the sea!
View of the abandoned resort in the morning from the jetty
Entrance to the abandoned resort lobby
Inside the abandoned resort lobby
Creepy lobby
Can you see him?
Au revoir!
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| | Posted 6/17/2009 6:27 PM - 155 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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