Olive ridley turtle in Boracay returns to the sea

A juvenile Olive ridley sea turtle was released in the sandy shores of Puka Beach in Boracay Islandrecently.

It was kept in captivity for more than a year since its hatchling stage according to the investigation made by the team from Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Boracay.

The Protected Area Management and Biodiversity Conservation (PAMBCU)/Coastal Unit of DENR CENRO Boracay assisted in the release of the sea turtle.

It wasmeasured and has a curved carapace length of 32 centimeters and a curved carapace width of 34 centimeter. It weighs an estimated less than 3 kilograms.

The marine turtle was released on the main stretch of Puka Beach and was recorded as the first incident of turtle species to nest and release in the area since the Hawksbill sea turtle and Green sea turtle were the two species recorded by the office in the past years.

Moreover, an Information Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign on Green Fins Approach, specifically in the conservation of endangered marine wildlife was conducted to the community who witness the activity to educate and increase awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation and protection.

This activity was also in line with the celebration of the “Month of the Ocean” held every month of May and supports the Thematic Area 3: Rehabilitation and Recovery of Ecosystems.

Wildlife species such as sea turtles were being conserved and protected by the country as well as their habitats for sustainability under the Republic Act (RA) 9147 or the Wildlife Resource Conservation and Protection Act.

“The best way to conserve and protect our wildlife species especially the sea turtles is to let them live in their natural habitat. Boracay Island is indeed a turtle haven prior to the recorded nesting and hatchlings release from the past years until now. Its ongoing rehabilitation also monitors its water quality, resulting to a more clean sea habitat for the different marine species in the island,” said Francisco E. Milla, Jr.

Enhanced Biodiversity Conservation is among the top ten priority programs and project of the DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu./DENR6

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