An evening at Induruwa Turtle Hatchery, Sri Lanka

Hello Everyone,

In this post, I am going to share our incredible experience at the Induruwa Sea Turtle Conservation Project or better known as the Induruwa Turtle Hatchery. 

A brief introduction:

“Turtle populations are attacked at all stages of their lives, both from natural and human pressures and all species of sea turtle are now classed as endangered. Without intervention, we may lose these beautiful, ancient creatures from our ocean’s forever. The natural life cycle of marine turtles is tough enough without the added pressure from humans, and it is no wonder their numbers are drastically declining.”

The conservation efforts include:

a) Collecting turtle eggs from the beach or rescuing the eggs from destroyed nests

b) Letting the eggs hatch safely and keeping the baby turtles safe for a little while until they grow strong and are able to find their way to the ocean

c) Providing treatment to the injured turtles

d) Raising awareness

Our experience:

We were initially given an overview of the life of the turtles, their project and the conservation projects around the world in general. There were charts used for the presentation and we were walked through each and every bullet mentioned there. The guide spoke English very well and there was no issue faced during the entire process in terms of communication.

Next, we were shown the eggs waiting to be hatched. There was an egg used for demonstration purposes, so that we get an idea of what they look like. The other eggs were not to be touched and were out of reach.

Upon ensuring we did not have any sunscreen or other stuffs on, we were taken to a tank where baby turtles were kept. These were Olive Ridleys and they looked so cute. We were allowed to touch and hold them only after ensuring that we got the instructions clear and loud.

This tank attracted a lot of kids and it was amazing to see how they cared for these babies.

Once done with the first tank, we were taken to several tanks where big turtles were kept. We were allowed to hold a couple of them very close to the water but the disabled turtles were left untouched. We loved to see that they were cared.

Since we volunteered to release a couple of baby turtles to the ocean, we had to wait until sunset and for the darkness to set in. The baby turtles are released in the dark to keep them safe from predators. Baby turtles have very thin chances of survival, but if they can make it through the first 2 weeks, they have a strong chance of survival. We hoped for the best, wished the babies a big, fat life and let them go. It was a magical moment to see them walk to the ocean.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. These turtles are hatched from eggs rescued from damaged nests. From zero chances of survival to this. Even if one makes it, it’s so much worth the efforts of the Conservation Center.

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