Published: 23/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
Releasing a turtle into the sea is likely to be a memorable experience for any child. Began in 1994, this year’s event is the 18th.
Aimed at raising funds for the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC), the event will see a batch of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas in Latin or tao tanu in Thai) from the centre's hatchery. They are then allowed to swim out to the open sea for the first time in their lives.
Tickets for the activity, priced at 3,000 baht and good for two adults and accompanying children, are now available at the lobby of any hotel within the Laguna Phuket complex as well as online at www.lagunaphuket.com/CSR/ turtlerelease. Please note that only 95 tickets are available.
Some conservationists doubt whether the release of year-old, hatchery-bred juveniles actually increases the chances of survival of the creatures, as opposed to allowing nature to take its course and letting the hatchlings find their own way from their nesting sites to the sea. However, it is generally agreed that undisturbed beaches suitable for the turtles to lay egg are scarce these days, and that the continuing study of marine reptiles being conducted at PMBC may one day lead to a better solution for protecting these endangered sea turtles.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
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