"This is done in an effort to conserve nature," Head of the Muara Upu Village Husnul Amir Harahap stated in South Tapanuli, Tuesday.
Along with the locals, they released 82 leatherback sea turtles, or Dermochelys Coriacea, and 1,630 sea turtles.
"Leatherback sea turtles are classified as rare species. Their body weight can reach hundreds of kilograms. Their height can reach 0.5 meters, and they can measure over 1.3 meters in length," he remarked.
In the last four months, since November 2019 up until February, the locals in Muara Upu fostered sea turtle hatchlings before they were released into the ocean.
"Every night for four months, along with the locals, we go out on a patrol and look for sea turtle eggs on the shore. We then move them to the conservation area and after the eggs hatched in 50 days, they were then released," he explained.
During the process of conservation, the sea turtle eggs were closely supervised to ensure they were safe from threats from other predators.
Harahap expressed gratitude to District Head of South Tapanuli Syahrul M. Pasaribu for his motivation and encouragement directed to the people to conserve the rare animal species, as well as the funding that the district government had provided. Related news: 31 giant turtles lay eggs in Raja Ampat throughout 2018
Related news: Three turtles found dead off Pari island due to litter
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Translator: Juraidi/Aria Cindyara
Editor: Suharto
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