On recent visit to Sri Lanka, I stayed at Jetwing Saman Villas a boutique property in Bentota. Eager to explore the surroundings, I found out that Kosgoda nearby is home to several turtle conservation centers and my driver brought me to Victor Hasselblad Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Centre that started in 1978. “This is one of the places that takes conservation very seriously and they do good work so I believe this is the apt place to see the turtle conservation,” he told me,
And as I paid LKR 1000 the entry fee and entered I knew why. This center has successfully saved and released 4 million turtles to date. The center itself is spartan it has rows of sand beds that have the turtle eggs under them and large tanks of water for the hatched baby turtles.
The whole place is surrounded with informative boards that tell you all about the turtle species found in Sri Lanka and why they are threatened. You can also see old eggs as well as some injured turtles here.
Keep you eyes peeled for the rare white turtle – my guide tells me that they are one in a million. The center is a great example of how to ensure that the marine life is protected and ocean health is in check.
Read the full story that first appeared in Fair Planet here:
I did not think that the situation of turtles is like this.
Very regrettable.
“The effort of conservation centres in this regard is commendable.”
Yes they are doing some really great work.