SEREMBAN, Jan 30 — Fishermen here helped to rescue a female Green turtle, estimated to be 20-years-old, which was found in distress on the beach at Pantai Tanjung Gemok, Port Dickson near here, by releasing it back into the sea today.
Manager of the Turtle Hatchery at Glory Beach Resort, Hishamudin Abd Manap said the 35-kg reptile was discovered by fishermen on the beach at about 11 am.
“I was on the beach when the fishermen told me about turtle, which was already weak, probably because it was on land too long.
“I immediately contacted the Negeri Sembilan Fisheries Department (JPNS) and they asked me to release it back into the waters, so we released it at about noon,” he told Bernama here today.
Meanwhile, JPNS fisheries officer Doreen Wee Siew Leen said turtles sometimes landed on the beach to lay eggs, especially during the spawning season from February to October.
She thanked the public for contacting the relevant authority promptly to help save and preserve the animal.
She said two turtle carcasses had been found on the beach of Port Dickson so far this year, and advised the public to report to JPNS or the Port Dickson Ornamental Fish Centre at 06-6621089 immediately, should they find any turtle, dead or alive, on the beach.
According to her, JPNS has conducted conservation programmes for various agencies to protect the turtles.
