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Soul: Turtle release - “Educational program teaches children to save sea turtles”
The children waited enthusiastically near the shoreline at Serangan Island as the staff and volunteers of Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) carefully removed the tiny sea turtle hatchlings from the nursery pool into small plastic bowls
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The children waited enthusiastically near the shoreline at Serangan Island as the staff and volunteers of Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) carefully removed the tiny sea turtle hatchlings from the nursery pool into small plastic bowls.
The bowls then were handed over to the children and their accompanying parents. The looks on the children’s faces as they cautiously held the bowls were simply precious. Most of them had never seen baby sea turtles before, let alone held them so close.
They walked slowly to the shoreline before taking turns releasing the baby turtles into the calm ocean. As many as 100 hatchlings were released at that Friday event.
As the little creatures swam frantically to start their new life in the wild, the children and several European and Chinese tourists clapped their hands and cheered to give them support.
The release was part of an educational initiative co-organized by TCEC and Bali’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA). TCEC is a community-based organization founded in the early 2000s with assistance provided by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). TCEC played a pivotal role in turning Serangan, once known as the hub of turtle smuggling, into an island of conservationists. It maintains a hatchery and nursery facility.
Prior to the release, the children and their parents toured the TCEC facility, during which they were informed about the turtle’s endangered status as well as its reproductive cycle.
