SRI LANKA COAST GUARD RELEASED AROUND 10,000 NEWLY BORN BABY TURTLES DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH 2024

Around 10,000 newly born baby turtles that were hatched from several hatcheries belong to SLCG were released to the sea safely under the Coast Guard Turtle Conservation Project (CGTCP) in March 2024.

The purpose of CGTCP is to conserve sea turtles by protecting their eggs and nests until the babies hatch and are safely released. SLCG voluntarily does this project for the betterment of the environment and it is highly appreciated among the local and foreign community.

There are seven different sea turtle species in the world and five species are found in Sri Lankan waters. Turtles play a momentous role in marine biodiversity and make the balance healthy ecosystem. Despite the invaluable benefits of these creatures to marine biodiversity, the population is declining rapidly due to human activities such as land reclamation, marine pollution, overfishing, etc. As a result, sea turtles became endangered and need to be protected.

Since the inception of this project, the SLCG conserved nearly 187,000 turtle eggs and released 107,450 baby turtles into the ocean from different locations around the country.