Turtle Island Park
Turtle Paradise
SABAH, MALAYSIA
Sabah Islands > Islands off Sandakan > Turtle Island Park
Turtle Island Park
Turtle Paradise
SABAH, MALAYSIA
Turtle Islands Park is 40 km north of Sandakan Town. It encompasses an area
of 1,740 hectares which includes the three islands of Pulau Selingan, Pulau
Bakkungan Kecil and Pulau Gulisan; the sea and surrounding coral reefs.
Main Attraction
The main attractions here are the turtles which come to nest on their shores.
Pulau Selingan is the main nesting area for the green turtles chelonia mydas,
while the hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys seem particularly attracted to the
shores of Pulau Gulisan. Both species lay their eggs on these shores throughout
the year, although the best months are between July to October. The islands were
gazette as Marine Parks in 1977 primarily for the protection of these two
species in order to save them from extinction.
The Turtle Island Park is also known as Pulau Penyu National Park.
The Park comprises of three islands:
1- Pualau Selingan,
2- Pulau Bakkungan Kecil
3- Pulau Gulisan
The park gained its popularity from the green and hawksbill turtles which lay
their eggs on the beaches of the islands.
All the three islands are protected within marine parks on both sides of the
Malaysian and Philippine borders.
The turtles lay their eggs all year round but are more common between July and
October when the seas are calmer.
Getting there
The best way to visit the Turtle Islands is through one of the many
reputable tour companies in Sabah. Alternatively, and sometimes works out a
little cheaper, is to go out with Corel Island Cruises which run a boat service
to the island. The only difference is that you will be unguided. Turtles nest
all year round, but the best times to visit the islands are between July and
October when the seas are calmer. Apart from the Turtle Islands, the other
attractions in the eastern region include the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre,
Sepilok Forest Reserve, Australian War Memorial and further a field, the lower
Kinabatangan river which is one of the best places to see a wide array of
wildlife from the comfort of the boat!
The islands are built over shallow rocky shoals from coral shingle from the surrounding reef on the fringes. They are covered with a variety of plant life which includes mangrove, lantana, the yellow-flowered sophora and the furry silver-leaved Tournefortia.
Pulau Selingan : 8 hectares in
size and is the second largest of 3 islands. The turtles come ashore on the east
and southwestern parts of the island to lay their eggs before returning to the
sea. They normally come ashore after 7. 30 pm but have also been seen nesting in
the early hours of the morning between 5 to 6am.
Accommodation is available on the island for those who wish to stay overnight to
witness the nesting. A restaurant is also available for visitors to enjoy hot
meals.
Pulau Bakkungan Kecil : This is
the largest island and it lies close to the Philippines border. Active mud
volcanoes are also present here. These are not true volcanoes but originate as
mineral-rich mud, expelled from deep below the surface. The favorite nesting
places of the Green Turtles are the beaches on the northern and western shores
of the island.
No accommodation facilities on Pulau Bakkungan Kecil.
Pulau Gulisan : This smallest island is only 1.6 hectare in size but remains one of the favorite haunts of the hawksbill turtles which lay their eggs on the northern, eastern and southwestern beaches. All sea turtles eat marine animals such as sponges, marine worms and molluscs and the hawksbills are no exception. Being carnivorous, they feed on the invertebrate animals of the coral reefs. The adult Green Turtles however, are strict vegetarians, limiting their diet to the underwater grass and seaweed.
Hatcheries : Park staff collect the eggs and transfer them
to hatcheries where every effort is made to ensure successful hatching. After an
incubation period of about 50 to 60 days, the hatchlings dig their way up to the
surface and they are later released to the sea from different points around the
islands. They are then on their own, to survive the dangers at sea and perhaps
return one day to lay their eggs on the very same shores as their mother once
did.
Baby turtles are released at night. Everyone get a chance to hold one for a
couple minutes. The proper way is to hold it between 2 fingers. These little
guys instinctively know that its time to go to the water, and are doing
everything in their power to get there. So while you're holding them, they're
flipping wildly. The back flippers have almost no power, but the front ones have
strong pull as it is about 3-4 inches long.
The small Turtle Island has a nice beach, but couldn't sit on it long due to the
sand flies. When nightfall, mother turtles comes. The turtles can come as early
as 7pm, or as late at 2am.
The turtles ID marking was read, and notes were taken and the turtle fill the
hole and return on its own.
The eggs are then placed in a hole in the yard of the sanctuary and filled in
with sand and given a protective fence around the top. 7 weeks later when the
turtles emerge, they are removed from their fenced in area and let safely in to
the water.
When it was found that turtles came to this island every night to lay eggs in,
the island was turned in to a sanctuary project and hence Turtle Island.
Almost every night mother turtles come up and lay their eggs, after digging a
hole in the sand. Each mother turtle lays about 100 eggs. The project workers
then go around behind the turtles and remove the eggs as they are laid, and the
mother turtle has no knowledge of this. When the turtle has finished, she covers
the hole thinking the eggs are inside.
Nesting : The turtles take their time laying their eggs.
The whole ritual of emerging from the sea, then choosing a suitable site and
clearing the area before laying about 100 eggs ; concealing the eggs with sand
and finally taking their leave takes one whole hour!
Another merciless killing of sea turtles in Sabah
Read more:
www.theborneopost.com
Another merciless killing of sea turtles in Sabah
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/17/another-merciless-killing-of-sea-turtles-in-sabah/#ixzz3AtbDyYb9
2014 - Another merciless killing of sea turtle
A Fisheries Department staff in Semporna district was on his way home on Tuesday
15th April, 2014 when he saw four dead sea turtles floating at the sea between
Bum-Bum Island and Kulapuan Island. He then took pictures and posted on his
Facebook.
Top of list of suspects is the seaweed farmers. The re-occurrence of conflict
between sea turtle and the seaweed farmers has been recorded since 1990s.
Between Bum Bum Island and Semporna town areas adjacent to Tun Mustapha Marine
Park have been the favorite foraging habitat of Green Turtles long before the
boom in seaweed farming. Sea turtle is a pest to seaweed farming; they can
destroy the entire seaweed farm overnight.
Seaweed farmers are fed up complaining about damages from sea turtles and if
they can, will take revenge by harming the animal.
Read more:
www.theborneopost.com
2014
Tuesday, 05 August 2014 11:59
Number Of Tourist Arrivals To Selingan Island Returning To Normal - Shahidan
malaysiandigest.com/frontpage
"We are confident that the number will reach the normal 1,000 tourists a day..."
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim
told reporters after visiting the security control post
in Selingan Island on Monday, 04 August 2014
The number of tourist arrivals to Selingan Island in Pulau Penyu
National Park is returning to normal following the government's move to increase
security control in the east coast of Sabah, Minister in the Prime Minister's
Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said. Right now, the number of tourist
arrivals to the island stood at between 700 and 900 people daily.
The Pulau Penyu National Park consists of three islands, namely Selingan,
Bakungan Kecil and Gulisan.
However, accommodations for visitors and tourists are only available in Selingan
Island.
2014 : Shahidan taking a
protected tour of Pulau Berhala in waters off Sandakan with armed
security guards
Wednesday August 6, 2014 Tourists returning to eastern Sabah
“Our forces are placed in areas where there are resorts, and this has resulted in increasing tourist arrivals... We will take immediate steps to further boost and improve security....”
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department
Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim
August, 2014 after visiting Turtle Island
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said
Tourism in Sabah’s east coast is beginning to pick up again with the high level
of security in place. 600 to 700 tourists were heading daily to the various
island resorts in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone), proving that
tourist confidence had been restored. The minister said the number of tourists
heading to the various resorts would eventually hit about 1,000 daily, which was
the figure before the area was hit by a spate of kidnappings.
Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim was on a two-day visit to the Esszone islands off
Sandakan in August 2014. accompanied by Esscom commander Datuk Abdul Rashid
Harun.
Visitors Are Forbidden From Engaging In Any Of
The Following:
• Wander along the beach after dark. (The Park Ranger will inform you
when there is a turtle laying eggs.)
• Build campfires, shine bright torches on the beach, sing, dance or play music
on the beach at night.
• Disturb the turtle during the nesting process by coming too close or crowding
around her. Instead, visitors re advised to watch the nesting from a distance.
• Under any circumstances, ride on the turtle, pull her flippers, turn her over,
jump on her or injure her physically. Such acts of abuse may have adverse
effects on future nesting returns.
• Night photography is strictly forbidden on Pulau Selingan but allowed on the
other two islands with permission from the Park Ranger.
• Collecting any plant, animal or other living or non-living things is strictly
forbidden without prior written permission from the Director of Sabah Parks.
Fishing, however, is permitted with hook and line only.
Sabah has 6 Marine Parks open to the public :
Tunku
Abdul Rahman Park
Pulau Tiga Park
Turtle Island Park (Pulau Penyu National Park)
Tun Sakaran Marine Park
Pulau Sipadan Park
Tun Mustapha Marine Park
RELATED TOPICS
|
|
Islands |