Turtles are amazing creatures and its co-existence on earth goes back from 157million years ago making them one of the oldest creatures on planet earth. They are indeed older than other creatures like snakes of crocodiles , however the world’s ecosystem changes have brought an impact on the habitat of turtles around the world. Some of the breed have either extinct or is facing extinction.
There are seven recognised species of sea turtle in the world and they are divided into 2 families which is called Dermochelydae and Cheloniidae.The only species that is categorised in the Dermochelydae family is the Leatherback turtle the rest six species, i.e. Green turtle, Olive Ridley turtle, Hawksbill turtle, Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley turtle and Flatback turtle are all belong to the Cheloniidae family. Among these seven species, four choose to nest in Malaysia beaches. In Malaysia, Redang island is one of most talked about area and it is known to have turtles such as Olive Ridley, Hawksbill and green turtle coming on shore to lay their eggs. It’s definitely an ideal place for turtles to lay their eggs as the island is a protected marine life island and is monitored and controlled by the government to preserve the nature and marine life around that area.
The best time to visit these turtles at Redang will be between May and August. In conjunction of World Turtle day 2017, May 23rd. Taaras collaborated with the Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Centre to educate and create awareness of the endangered species among the guest of Taaras and to support the efforts and activities that the research centre has for the turtles that breed in the island. Some of the activities that took place was the education of turtle breeds, what harms them and releasing baby turtles through a donation scheme where all the proceeds will go to the conservation centre to continue their noble journey of rescuing and taking care of these endangered species.
