TO BE IN TURTLE ISLANDS
For many of us, we only see them in the National Geographic Channel and Magazine. Some kids brag that they have them as pets (ows, really?, must be those ones that fit inside aquariums). But to actually see those huge marine turtles in their natural environment and to get the chance to witness the emergence of hundreds of hatchlings and watching them race towards the surf is an experience very few Filipinos can claim to have had.
Next stop, a visit to the Turtle Islands in Tawi-tawi. If you plan to go to this place, think thrice. It takes an average of three days and lots of patience and money to reach the Turtle Islands from any point in the Philippines. But if you will come from Sandakan in Sabah, all you need is 45 minutes by speedboat. Before you make a smile, I will tell you now that you can’t take this route, either. There are no immigration station or channel here between Malaysia and the Philippines.
Next stop, a visit to the Turtle Islands in Tawi-tawi. If you plan to go to this place, think thrice. It takes an average of three days and lots of patience and money to reach the Turtle Islands from any point in the Philippines. But if you will come from Sandakan in Sabah, all you need is 45 minutes by speedboat. Before you make a smile, I will tell you now that you can’t take this route, either. There are no immigration station or channel here between Malaysia and the Philippines.
So for so many years to follow, the islands shall remain free from screaming tourists.Me? I got so lucky! The DENR and the World Wildlife Fund – Philippines have conservation projects to protect the turtle population in the area. WWF got me as an ecotourism consultant just in case tourism finds its way to the area. So that we can help prevent tourism going towards a runaway type of development. A type of tourism which may ultimately destroy the pristine environment of the area.
There are actually several small islands in the area. Some are inhabited by mostly the Jama Mapuns, with some Tausugs in their midst. Many of them make their living through fishing and working in nearby Sandakan. The inhabited islands like Taganak still have turtles that go up their beaches to lay eggs. But in the effort to prevent the people from completely wiping out the turtles in the area, the government allowed them to collect a certain portion of the eggs and surrender the remaining eggs to hatch. The ones they took they used either for their own consumption or they can sell in Sandakan (By the way, its illegal to collect turtle eggs in Malaysia). It’s a very difficult decision that the government took, but there seems to be no viable practical alternatives at the moment.
The most successful story in the area is the island of Baguan which has been declared as a strict protection zone. Meaning, only government personnel, rangers, soldiers and researchers are allowed to stay on the island. Here, the eggs are not collected and sometimes, up to a hundred turtles come ashore to lay eggs unmolested.
There are actually several small islands in the area. Some are inhabited by mostly the Jama Mapuns, with some Tausugs in their midst. Many of them make their living through fishing and working in nearby Sandakan. The inhabited islands like Taganak still have turtles that go up their beaches to lay eggs. But in the effort to prevent the people from completely wiping out the turtles in the area, the government allowed them to collect a certain portion of the eggs and surrender the remaining eggs to hatch. The ones they took they used either for their own consumption or they can sell in Sandakan (By the way, its illegal to collect turtle eggs in Malaysia). It’s a very difficult decision that the government took, but there seems to be no viable practical alternatives at the moment.
The most successful story in the area is the island of Baguan which has been declared as a strict protection zone. Meaning, only government personnel, rangers, soldiers and researchers are allowed to stay on the island. Here, the eggs are not collected and sometimes, up to a hundred turtles come ashore to lay eggs unmolested.
The beach that looked like a turtle highway
From quite a distance, Baguan Island looks like a typical island paradise printed in travel brochures. White sand beaches rings the entire island and the lush vegetation adds contrast to the lively color of the site.
The first minute I got to the island I already saw hatchlings emerging from a nest. A nice surprise that seemed to tell me I’m into a very special trip.
I really have to thank Joel Palma of WWF for bringing me here. For a very memorable part of my life, I took part in the tagging of turtles that came ashore to lay eggs. Tagging is a piece of metal pierced through the flipper of a turtle for identification. Here’s how we did it: We started scouting the island at around eight in the evening. We had to walk silently and turn off our flashlights. Turtles are very sensitive of any other animals (most specially man) and are wary of lights. They will not come ashore if they see lights and people. That time, even if we saw a turtle lumbering on shore, it will immediately crawl back into the sea if they see people. They will even stop digging their nests and abandon them the moment they sense something funny. The only way we got near a turtle was when it was already in the process of laying its eggs. Its only instinct is to finish its business inspite of people coming near it and actually looking (and filming) at it laying the eggs.
Do you know how big a turtle can grow? I can spread myself on top of its carapace and not even reach the tips of its flippers (I’m 5’8”). They’re so huge and gentle that you may only have respect for it as you watch it lay its eggs, make some tears, cover the nest, and lumber back to the sea. Although I had a very minor role (saling pusa) in the tagging, the ones that really worked hard were Rhoda, Nilo and the rest of the Pawikan Conservation Project of the DENR. Theirs is another story - they can stay on the island for three months and leave their families behind in Manila. Now, that is dedication.
That night, we tagged about 15 turtles. The following morning was another day of work. Some baby turtles emerged from their nursery and had to be immediately released to increase their chance of survival in the wild. I volunteered to accompany Joel (he used to be part of PCP) to go around the island and count the turtle tracks. Some portions of the island looked like a busy highway with numerous parallel and criss-crossing tracks.
There was not much to do after that so I joined a group that was going on a scuba diving trip around one rocky islet. I don’t scuba dive so I only got for myself a snorkel set. The rock was less than one hectare and completely barren. There was a pair of terns that kept flying near the rock. True enough, we saw two eggs on the islets. Must be the birds’. Those who had scuba sets went diving while me and some guys went snorkeling around the islet.
One reason why I never learned to go scuba diving was my constant fear of open water. But that trip certainly took that fear away. It might be trite if I say I saw great corals (which I did, really). But would you believe that by snorkeling alone, I saw two sharks, a white tip and a black tip? They were only 20 feet directly below me and I couldn’t do anything. I was frozen. I heard my snorkel making very loud noise as I hyperventilated. Aside from the sharks, we also encountered large barracudas. Sharks, by the way, are indicators of a healthy marine environment. If a diver does not see any shark in a dive spot, then its already telling him that something is wrong in the site. I guess I’m really lucky compared to some divers who have spent countless hours scuba diving without seeing a single elasmobranch (shark).
THE SUBASCO
Before we went to the Turtle Islands, Joel was already telling me stories of the Subasco – a very strong wind with rains that suddenly appears and disappears in a matter of minutes. If a subasco happens, you have to immediately seek shelter. Raindrops strike hard and sand grains pelt you with some pain. The wife of a local ranger died when a subasco hit her while at sea. So you see, a subasco is something that has to be respected and feared in this country.
It was one usually lovely night in the island. We just had dinner and started a little conversation. We noticed that a very thick cloud hung over Sabah. There were also great lightning coming from the clouds. After a few minutes, it started to drizzle and we watched if the dark cloud was moving towards us. AT that point, the cloud did not seem menacing. Then, one by one they started coming towards us – hatchlings that must have been attracted by our lamp. Joel said that there were two species of those hatchlings, the green and the hawksbill. They were cute little ones I called turtlets. We gently collected them in a small basin and released them into the water. When the rain got harder and the winds started howling, Joel warned that it might be a subasco and motioned that we should all get inside the station and call it a day.
True enough; the rains and the winds became so hard that it looked like a typhoon signal number three situation. I could not help control what I was feeling during that moment and went out to the shed to marvel at the fury of nature. I was both a little afraid and inspired. Then suddenly there was a very loud cracking sound! Somebody screamed and I saw that the side of the radio shack was on fire. By instinct, I immediately pumped for water while everybody got out to see what was happening. Luckily, the fire died out without doing much damage. In the meantime, the subasco and the rain had both gone. Everything happened in less than ten minutes. When we assessed the situation, we found out that the transmission pole was directly hit by lightning and the mega electricity traveled over the wirings. The unlucky ones like Rhoda got some electrical shock and some concrete covering electrical wiring were blown out. We also found out that the fire was caused by gasoline stored at the side of the radio shack. When somebody said that he saw me furiously pumping water, everybody gave a hearty laugh. I meekly said that I only wanted to help put out the fire.
The first minute I got to the island I already saw hatchlings emerging from a nest. A nice surprise that seemed to tell me I’m into a very special trip.
I really have to thank Joel Palma of WWF for bringing me here. For a very memorable part of my life, I took part in the tagging of turtles that came ashore to lay eggs. Tagging is a piece of metal pierced through the flipper of a turtle for identification. Here’s how we did it: We started scouting the island at around eight in the evening. We had to walk silently and turn off our flashlights. Turtles are very sensitive of any other animals (most specially man) and are wary of lights. They will not come ashore if they see lights and people. That time, even if we saw a turtle lumbering on shore, it will immediately crawl back into the sea if they see people. They will even stop digging their nests and abandon them the moment they sense something funny. The only way we got near a turtle was when it was already in the process of laying its eggs. Its only instinct is to finish its business inspite of people coming near it and actually looking (and filming) at it laying the eggs.
Do you know how big a turtle can grow? I can spread myself on top of its carapace and not even reach the tips of its flippers (I’m 5’8”). They’re so huge and gentle that you may only have respect for it as you watch it lay its eggs, make some tears, cover the nest, and lumber back to the sea. Although I had a very minor role (saling pusa) in the tagging, the ones that really worked hard were Rhoda, Nilo and the rest of the Pawikan Conservation Project of the DENR. Theirs is another story - they can stay on the island for three months and leave their families behind in Manila. Now, that is dedication.
That night, we tagged about 15 turtles. The following morning was another day of work. Some baby turtles emerged from their nursery and had to be immediately released to increase their chance of survival in the wild. I volunteered to accompany Joel (he used to be part of PCP) to go around the island and count the turtle tracks. Some portions of the island looked like a busy highway with numerous parallel and criss-crossing tracks.
There was not much to do after that so I joined a group that was going on a scuba diving trip around one rocky islet. I don’t scuba dive so I only got for myself a snorkel set. The rock was less than one hectare and completely barren. There was a pair of terns that kept flying near the rock. True enough, we saw two eggs on the islets. Must be the birds’. Those who had scuba sets went diving while me and some guys went snorkeling around the islet.
One reason why I never learned to go scuba diving was my constant fear of open water. But that trip certainly took that fear away. It might be trite if I say I saw great corals (which I did, really). But would you believe that by snorkeling alone, I saw two sharks, a white tip and a black tip? They were only 20 feet directly below me and I couldn’t do anything. I was frozen. I heard my snorkel making very loud noise as I hyperventilated. Aside from the sharks, we also encountered large barracudas. Sharks, by the way, are indicators of a healthy marine environment. If a diver does not see any shark in a dive spot, then its already telling him that something is wrong in the site. I guess I’m really lucky compared to some divers who have spent countless hours scuba diving without seeing a single elasmobranch (shark).
THE SUBASCO
Before we went to the Turtle Islands, Joel was already telling me stories of the Subasco – a very strong wind with rains that suddenly appears and disappears in a matter of minutes. If a subasco happens, you have to immediately seek shelter. Raindrops strike hard and sand grains pelt you with some pain. The wife of a local ranger died when a subasco hit her while at sea. So you see, a subasco is something that has to be respected and feared in this country.
It was one usually lovely night in the island. We just had dinner and started a little conversation. We noticed that a very thick cloud hung over Sabah. There were also great lightning coming from the clouds. After a few minutes, it started to drizzle and we watched if the dark cloud was moving towards us. AT that point, the cloud did not seem menacing. Then, one by one they started coming towards us – hatchlings that must have been attracted by our lamp. Joel said that there were two species of those hatchlings, the green and the hawksbill. They were cute little ones I called turtlets. We gently collected them in a small basin and released them into the water. When the rain got harder and the winds started howling, Joel warned that it might be a subasco and motioned that we should all get inside the station and call it a day.
True enough; the rains and the winds became so hard that it looked like a typhoon signal number three situation. I could not help control what I was feeling during that moment and went out to the shed to marvel at the fury of nature. I was both a little afraid and inspired. Then suddenly there was a very loud cracking sound! Somebody screamed and I saw that the side of the radio shack was on fire. By instinct, I immediately pumped for water while everybody got out to see what was happening. Luckily, the fire died out without doing much damage. In the meantime, the subasco and the rain had both gone. Everything happened in less than ten minutes. When we assessed the situation, we found out that the transmission pole was directly hit by lightning and the mega electricity traveled over the wirings. The unlucky ones like Rhoda got some electrical shock and some concrete covering electrical wiring were blown out. We also found out that the fire was caused by gasoline stored at the side of the radio shack. When somebody said that he saw me furiously pumping water, everybody gave a hearty laugh. I meekly said that I only wanted to help put out the fire.
The antenna pole that was hit by the lightning.Being in the Turtle Islands means learning a lot. Turtles can live more than a hundred years. They are true citizens of the world traveling from one ocean to another. They only lay eggs at the same beach where they hatched. It may take 50 years before a turtle goes back to the same beach to lay eggs. It is best to immediately release the hatchlings than to keep them for even a few hours to better their chances of survival in the wild. The temperature of the sand will determine its gender, and so forth….
On my last day in the Turtle Islands, I saw a lot more. About two hundred hatchlings emerged from the hatchery. Each nest was encircled with chicken wire. We saw their wriggling bodies trying desperately to get out of the nest. One by one we gathered them. There were some that moved very slowly. A PCPC guy said that they were sure to die. One turtlet that touched my heart was a mutant that did not have hind legs (or flippers). It was very actively moving inspite of its disability. Somebody said that its chances of survival were very, very small (much smaller than one percent). I wanted to hold on to it and ask them to keep it. But they said that they can’t. Its not a natural process and it will die anyway even if they try to keep it. Besides, they can’t give assurance that they can keep it for more than 50 years. I wanted to make even a whimper of a protest but I knew they were right. Nobody can do anything. It seemed that the only thing that was wrong was that the hatchling was never given enough chance to survive. We knew that the moment we released the hatchling into the water, it was bound to die.
With a heavy feeling, I slowly released “my” turtlet into the sea. It immediately swam out but after a few feet, it kept moving in circles. I just lowered my eyes and let nature take its course.
On my last day in the Turtle Islands, I saw a lot more. About two hundred hatchlings emerged from the hatchery. Each nest was encircled with chicken wire. We saw their wriggling bodies trying desperately to get out of the nest. One by one we gathered them. There were some that moved very slowly. A PCPC guy said that they were sure to die. One turtlet that touched my heart was a mutant that did not have hind legs (or flippers). It was very actively moving inspite of its disability. Somebody said that its chances of survival were very, very small (much smaller than one percent). I wanted to hold on to it and ask them to keep it. But they said that they can’t. Its not a natural process and it will die anyway even if they try to keep it. Besides, they can’t give assurance that they can keep it for more than 50 years. I wanted to make even a whimper of a protest but I knew they were right. Nobody can do anything. It seemed that the only thing that was wrong was that the hatchling was never given enough chance to survive. We knew that the moment we released the hatchling into the water, it was bound to die.
With a heavy feeling, I slowly released “my” turtlet into the sea. It immediately swam out but after a few feet, it kept moving in circles. I just lowered my eyes and let nature take its course.
After a few minutes when hundreds of hatchlings were released, two sea eagles suddenly appeared. Like the monitor lizards which dig out the eggs for meal, and the ghost crabs which kill the tiny ones for no apparent reason at all, the eagles were also predators of the hatchlings. And they came for a breakfast meal. Each one of them made a dive down the water and swooped for itself one hatchling. It was both a sad and magnificent moment – seeing predators taking their vulnerable prey. And to think, both of them are in the endangered species list. A hatchling killed by a ghost crabAfter one swoop each, I was ready to see the eagles fly off but I noticed that they were making another dive. Then I realized, those eagles have two talons. Less than 50 meters out of the water and it was already four out of 200. I had not seen what was happening in the water. Some big fishes like groupers may have also been eating some of those tiny, young creatures. I kept thinking that maybe after 50 years, two of those 200 hatchlings may be able to go back to take their turn to lay their eggs and ensure the survival of their species. That is, if the island remains a sanctuary for the turtles. What a great challenge for a gentle species to survive!
And up now I say a little prayer for “my” turtlet.
posted by Caloy at
11:50 PM
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