a visit to the turtle hatchery

Buddy and Girl have seen turtles in the wild in Hawaii and here in Sri Lanka and they love them. So tonight we caught our last tuk tuk to the hatchery to learn more about the work they are doing to protect and preserve the five types of turtles that are native to Sri Lanka, and the kids were so excited. Turtle hatcheries are not without controversy. There is much worldwide debate about them, their practices, quality, purpose (tourism driven) etc. We always feel a little apprehensive about things like this including wildlife parks and zoos, but in the end we decided that we would go.

The eggs are collected by fisherman and brought to the hatchery where they buy them. The thought is that then the fishermen will not sell them for consumption. The eggs are buried in different sections according to the type of turtle.

And of course there were babies hatching. Which led the Dad and I to exchange glances, "were they just planted here for us?"

We got to hold and carry the babies to the tank where they live for three days before being released.

We met some other turtles that are either permanently living at the hatchery due to missing limbs, blindness or are being kept longer because they are rare females. We were told that the water is changed daily and that the tanks were built by money from tourists after the tsunami wiped out the hatchery.

 And then it was time to head for the dark beach with the three day old babies.

Where we helped them find their way home.

In the end we hope that we helped to make a difference.