Tanjung Datu National Park, Sarawak
aerial images courtesy of Michael Tsan/Sarawak Forestry, turtle images Veronica Ng
We
were fortunate enough to be invited as guests of the Sarawak Forestry Board to
the stunningly beautiful Tanjung Datu National Park for a 3D2N stay in the
jungle without electricity or internet. To get there we had to endure a 2 hour
bus ride to the coastal town of Sematan, then an hour’s boat ride to the jump off
point of Telok Melano.
Telok
Melano is a traditional Malay fishing village that operates a Homestay
Programme where guests stay with local families, so a visit to the park becomes
an enjoyable cultural experience as well. A designated tour operator
administers the Homestay Programme - please contact the National Parks Booking
office in Kuching for full details. From Teluk Melano it was another 10 minutes
by boat to Tanjung Datu.
Tanjung
Datu may be the smallest of Sarawak’s National Parks, at just under 14 sq km,
but it is also one of the most beautiful. The park comprises a narrow ridge of
rugged forest-covered hills fringed by pristine white sand beaches, crystal
clear waters and patches of coral reef.
The
rich mixed dipterocarp forest reaches almost to the water’s edge in some
places, and this close proximity of rainforest and coral reef - the two most
diverse natural communities on our planet - make Tanjung Datu a very important
reservoir of biodiversity.
Located
at the south-western tip of Sarawak, Tanjung Datu is one of Sarawak’s less
accessible natural parks, but its relative remoteness is one of its main
attractions. The beaches really are undisturbed, the corals offshore are
untouched and the forest trails are virtually untrodden. This seclusion has
helped to preserve a wide range of unusual plant species.
The
unpolluted crystal clear waters of the South China Sea support a wide range of
marine life, and the coral grows close inshore. This makes Tanjung Datu a good
location for snorkeling and scuba diving, although scuba divers have yet to
explore its full potential.
We
were richly rewarded for taking up this offer when we got to witness firsthand
the release of day old baby turtles from the hatchery into the sea. At 6am on
our last day there, they were released facing the beach, but their inbuilt GPS
kicked in and they all did a 360° turn and headed for the open sea.
What
was about 20 steps for us humans must have seemed like 2 kilometers to the
little babies as they determinedly huffed and puffed their way unerringly to
the sea.
Each
and every one of us was completely silent, wrapped up in our own private
thoughts and it was definitely an emotional moment for us when the first tiny
fella hit the sea for the very first time in his life and swam strongly out to
claim his destiny.
For
me it was a spiritual moment - I was awestruck at the contrast of the tiny baby
turtle against the mighty sea, yet comforted in the knowledge that God looks
after each and every one of his creatures.
We
were briefed on Sea Turtle Conservation by the Acting Deputy General Manager of
Sarawak Forestry, Mr Oswald Braken Tisen.
Turtle
eggs from nests susceptible to predators such as wild boars, monitor lizards,
snakes and ghost crabs are relocated to the hatchery to reduce the high levels
of natural mortality. The turtle hatchery at Tanjung Datu is a fenced-off area
close to the beach which is protected and monitored by park staff.
Sea
Turtles are amongst the world longest living creatures, with many reaching a
lifespan of more than 100 years. Graceful swimmers that spend most of their
time underwater, they have survived almost unchanged since the Triassic period,
some 200 million years ago. However, the breeding habits that have served them
so well for so long are now contributing to their extinction.
Sea
turtles mature slowly and only start to breed between 15 to 50 years of age.
Females usually produce eggs once in every four or five years. Studies have
shown that sea turtles largely migrate back to their beach of birth, sometimes
across distances of more than 3000 km. The peak seasons for sea turtles nesting
range from the month of May to September each year.
Sea
turtles are highly endangered due to their slow reproduction rate, combined
with over harvesting for meat and eggs as well as habitat destruction.
Sarawak
Forestry allows you to actively participate in turtle conservation efforts by
spending four days at the turtle conservation station on Pulau Talang-Talang
Besar. This program aims to create awareness among public on the importance of
sea turtles conservation and at the same time to encourage knowledge sharing on
this noble conservation efforts.
This
program offers volunteers hands on experience on sea turtles conservation work.
During your stay, you will join a team of dedicated professionals whose mission
is to carry out sea turtles conservation programs on the island and thus help to
conserve one of the world’s most endangered species.
Volunteers
will be given opportunities to involve in:
Beach patrolling
Transferring turtle eggs to hatchery
Releasing of hatchlings
Data recording
Nest analysis
Research, education and conservation
activities.
National
Parks Booking Office,
Visitors
Information Centre,
Jalan
Tun Abang Haji Openg,
93000
Kuching Sarawak,
Tel:
(+6) 082 248088 Fax: (+6) 082 248087
Online
booking: http://ebooking.com.my
SARAWAK
FORESTRY
Tel:
(+6) 082 610088 Fax: (+6) 082 610099
Toll
free line: 1 800 88 2526
Website:
www.sarawakforestry.com
Email:
info@sarawakforestry.com
For
more details, surf to http://seaturtle.sarawakforest.com/
Labels: Sarawak, Tanjung Datu National Park, Turtle conservation
posted by Dave Avran at 10:14 pm
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