Beautiful turtle videos remind us to protect our sea animals
With our borders still closed, the domestic travel industry has been booming lately with Malaysians all over the country going on their own local Cuti-Cuti Malaysia trips.
While this is certainly good news for the economy, the environment begs to differ. We had earlier witnessed the results of nature healing without human activity, such as when a river turned crystal clear in Melaka, or when stunning views of iconic sights could be spotted miles away as skies cleared up during the MCO. With throngs of people flocking to our beautiful islands and beaches, the Sea Turtle Research Unit of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu has come out to remind us to be mindful of marine life when swimming with sea creatures.
Turtle Research Unit reminds those swimming with turtles not to feed or touch them
@ZoologiMY, a public advocate for environmental conservation in Malaysia, uploaded a tweet on 14th September urging Malaysians to not harm wildlife during their excursions now that people are travelling extensively. They also shared a couple of infographics depicting the dos and don’ts of swimming with turtles, originally created by @SeatruUMT.
Image credit: @ZoologiMY
Just like how we’re practicing social distancing among each other, @SeatruUMT also recommends swimmers to keep a 1m distance when swimming with turtles. And you should definitely, under all circumstances, not touch, surround, try to take them out of the water, or ride them.
Human contact can make them vulnerable to harmful bacteria as these creatures rely on protective slime to prevent infection, which may be compromised by touch. In fact, places such as Taiwan and Hawaii will fine offenders if they’re caught touching sea turtles.
Image credit: @ZoologiMY
We may have good intentions when we feed turtles, but the food that’s usually provided by tour operators such as squid and bread is extremely harmful to their diet.
According to @SeatruUMT, squid contains high levels of protein which can cause turtles in touristy areas who are frequently fed by visitors to suffer from obesity and liver damage.
Meanwhile, turtles don’t have the enzymes to break down the components in bread, which means they can’t digest it. And when they can’t process the food they eat – especially if they’re fed bread often – it will harm their growth as they’d lack the proper nutrients for development.
Image credit: @ZoologiMY
Netizens share mesmerising turtle videos
In the replies to the tweet, netizens shared turtle videos they shot on their vacays, with some respectfully admitting that they had encountered unscrupulous operators who provided food for tourists to feed the turtles.
@AhmadddAfiqqq shared that he’d been in Redang Island not too long ago when a kayak rental operator had offered to sell some squid to him to lure the turtle closer.
Image credit: @AhmadddAfiqqq
@nursbrnrhmt also echoed @AhmadddAfiqqq‘s sentiment, commenting that a boatman in Redang Island on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia had proposed that she and her fellow travellers feed the turtles some squid so that they’d have a chance to touch the creatures. She added that at least this behaviour is not allowed on the nearby Perhentian Island.
Image credit: @nursbrnrhmt
On the other hand, netizen @Mardhiah_Mas funnily shared a gorgeous video of a turtle swimming in the ocean taken from a slight distance, accompanied by the caption “1 m distancing.”
Image credit: @Mardhiah_Mas
Important to protect Malaysian turtles’ well-being
Malaysia’s marine turtles are already critically endangered, with some species of turtles such as the leatherback and the olive ridley experiencing a population decline of at least 95% since the 1960s, according to the ASEAN Post. Even so, little is known about how to protect turtles or the dos and don’ts when swimming with turtles in our waters.
Thankfully, conservation efforts have been put in place. But it is still more important than ever for all Malaysians who visit the islands, swim in the seas, and interact with our wildlife to protect the turtles’ habitat and well-being so that they can thrive for our marine life to remain astounding.
Keep up to date with more environmental local news here:
- Ancient rain tree in Taiping, Perak is an impressive sight
- Kuchingite discovers service recycling used cooking oil into fuel, netizens praise sustainable initiative
- Orange Heroes turn trash into public art with a message
- Proposal to turn Penang’s South Islands into BiodiverCity prompts mixed reactions
Cover image adapted from: Honolulu Civil Beat and Orana Travel
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