GEORGE TOWN, March 17 — Olive Ridley turtles have returned to nest in Penang, four years after the endangered turtle species were last spotted in the state’s shores.
According to the Penang Department of Fisheries, it found 110 hatchlings in Teluk Bahang near the Angsana Hotel’s beachfront following reports from the public on March 15.
A team from the department’s conservation and protection branch collected the hatchlings and brought them to the Pantai Kerachut Turtle Conservation Centre for protection and care, before they will be released into the sea.
The last time Olive Ridley turtles were seen along the shorelines in Penang was in 2019. They used to be spotted along the coast of Penang as well as on the opposite side of the peninsula in Pahang and Terengganu.
Despite this find, however, the department said the landings of leatherback sea turtles and Olive Ridley turtles in Malaysia, and specifically in Penang, were on a downward trend due to natural and human threats.
“The Penang Fisheries Department would like to thank the public for reporting the turtle landings around Penang’s shore and we hope that with this cooperation, these endangered species can be protected,” it said in a statement today.
