Well after two weeks working it definitely feels like we know a lot more about turtles and life in Sri Lanka, in fact we’re probably becoming turtle bores so it’s time to share some more details of what it is we’re actually doing and where
We’re living in Kosgoda which is a small fishing town on the southwestern coast with a population of about 3600 which also produces coconut and cinnamon based products. We get five of the seven species of sea turtles laying their eggs on nearby beaches
we’re working at the Kosgoda Turtle Conservation Project. It was set up by Dudley Perera in 1988 to monitor local sea turtle activity and conserve the nesting sites, we well as making people more aware to why it is important to protect these endangered creatures. He now runs it with his wife and two children, a couple of local staff and any willing volunteers he can get.
when the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka in 2004, Kosgoda faced a six metre wave and the project was destroyed and all turtles lost, but it has been rebuilt and is currently home to Green Turtles, Hawksbill Turtles and Loggerhead Turtles, although Olive Ridley and Leatherback turtles also lay eggs locally.
I know what you really want to hear about are the turtles we’re looking after so here we go – although I’ll spread it over a few posts so you don’t get too turtled out!
Turtles need and should live in the ocean so we start to release baby hatched turtles when they reach about five days old – more about that later, and are also allowed to keep turtles for a maximum of five years which gives them a better chance of survival and also means that they can be seen and understood by visitors to the project, including the many school children we see every week
we do have two permanent residents who are extremely rate albino turtles so I’ll start with them
Carmen
Carmen is a male Green Turtle but as you can see has no colour due to a genetic mutation which blocks melanin production. Whilst Green Turtles are the most common turtles in Sri Lanka, only one in every 100,000 – 150,000 hatchlings will be albino and Carmen was born here four years ago and is very special
As well as having little or no colour in the skin and shells, albino turtles have poor eye site so they can’t see danger and react to it quickly in the sea and can get disorientated.
Their chance of survival in the wild are virtually zero as they can’t hide from predators and are easily visible particularly to birds as they stand out against the sea, so you are unlikely to ever see one in the wild.
We will keep Carmen safe here for the rest of his days and he has the biggest tank so she can grow to her potential – about a metre long and up to 250kg. Luckily at only four he’s no where near that but still pretty heavy when you have to move him around.
He can see shadows and will often come up and say hello – probably just breathing but I think he’s saying hello – and can get speed up when we’re cleaning any leaves and insects from the tank and thinks it could be food time
Bubble
Bubble is one of my favourite turtles as he is a Loggerhead albino fourteen month old turtle
For anyone who has seen as much Ab Fab as I have, then Bubble should be a girl especially as his shell is such a pretty colour – just like mother of pearl
Loggerhead turtles are more rare in Sri Lanka, which makes Bubble even more special than Carmen, and it was lucky that being born here, people are able to see him and understand more about the Albino turtles
Bubble lives on his own but this week we tried to put him with some other turtles so see how he reacted. Basically, he became a bit of a bully, chasing the smaller green turtles around and trying to tip them up. He also kept bumping his head on the side of the tank as there were walls where he’s not used to them. He was probably just trying to play but didn’t appreciate how much bigger and stronger he was so back to his own tank he went
Bubble is really sweet, but like Carmen, can’t be released to the ocean. Also, due to his amazing colour he would be very popular on the black market either as a pet – yes he will grow to 200kg but people forget that – or as a trophy handbag or jewellery which is a horrible thought
I’ll share some other bits of Sri Lanka life with you
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a few bits at the bottom of the laundry basket that are hand wash only and you really can’t be bothered to do. Well imagine how I felt when I turned up and asked about washing and was given a big black bowl – there’s no washing machine!! There’s not even a laundrette anywhere close so everything needs to be hand washed – one thing I will say is that suddenly one more wear becomes part of your thought process but I really can’t see it continuing when I get home
We all get annoyed at snails in the garden so imagine seeing these ones crawling around – they are huge and seem to appear after the rain
I’ll be back soon to share some more turtles with you so speak soon
B&J
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