Six months into this unique experiment, Dr. Nicolas Pilcher, a turtle specialist from the Sarawak University in Malaysia, visited the two sets of Green Turtle babies, based on Banyan Tree Maldives' Vabbinfaru island and on Angsana's Ihuru island respectively, to examine the progress these much-loved but still mysterious creatures have made since they hatched on Ihuru in June 2001. Already measuring almost a foot, these lively and active ocean inhabitants have just moved from their initial nursery in the shallow waters of the island lagoons into new and spacious cages close to the shore, which allow them to roam around quite freely. Dr. Pilcher, consultant from day one to this singular program, is very optimistic where the future of these small turtles is concerned. Given the current conditions they seem to grow healthy and strong and appear well prepared to face their wild and often hostile natural habitat in six months time.
With the discovery of three turtle nests in early summer 2001 on Ihuru, Angsana Maldives Resort & Spa decided to try and make a difference by learning and also teaching more about those precious, tiny and fragile animals. As 50% of the freshly hatched turtles never survive to see their first sunrise and are hunted by various predators like sharks, jacks, reef-dwelling groupers and trigger fish, the idea of this specific project was to safeguard at least a few of these young specimen from their bleak fate until they reach a size which doesn't make them so vulnerable to predatory attacks. Eventually, this so-called 'population-restocking project' hopes to determine if natural predation rates decrease after growth in captivity.
Ten percent of the baby turtles were retained after hatching and are kept in a semi-natural environment. They now reside in large enclosures sitting within the reef lagoon, giving the turtles a far more realistic introduction to natural life than tanks on land, which is what the only comparable experiments have done up to now. During this first year of their lives, which they are now spending in captivity, the little turtles are constantly monitored and all relevant data like growth rate, body weight, quantity of food consumption and other biological aspects is collected by Mr. Abdul Azeez Abdul Hakeem, internationally renowned for his knowledge and work on the active management of coral reefs, and the marine environment officers of the two resorts.
The challenges that Angsana's and Banyan Tree's initiatives are facing are indeed considerable. Efforts are constantly focused on maintaining a most effective conservation strategy, which at the same time should always be in keeping with the turtles' natural biological life cycle. Not always an easy task, but with all the enthusiasm and the commitment and devotion of everybody involved, the project is progressing extremely well and to Dr. Pilcher's satisfaction.
Ultimately, the Banyan Tree Maldives Vabbinfaru and Angsana Maldives Ihuru Turtle Research Project's objective is to find enough support and contributors to continue and carry this unparalleled project far enough into the future by marking and tagging each individual of the first set of baby turtles when releasing them to the sea in June 2002. We want to follow these pioneer hatchlings into their new life in the big ocean by satellite tracking, which can determine the movements of the turtle over a one-year period, presenting the scientists with invaluable data on offshore migration routes. All this can provide a much clearer picture of where future conservation efforts should be aimed.
In addition to various other measures, Dr. Pilcher, in cooperation with Mr. Azeez, also plans to eventually establish a collaboration network among Maldivian islands to maintain an up-to-date picture of turtle nesting movements throughout the country.
Some of these activities are still in the experimental phase but may become important tools for avoiding the depletion of these valuable animals in the long run. According to Dr. Pilcher, only one in a thousand turtle hatchlings reaches the age of adulthood, which is at approximately 40 years, under normal circumstances. So giving the Banyan Tree and Angsana turtles a head start of one whole year, even though the impact will only be felt in 30 - 35 years time, might mean multiplying the survival chances of each of these Green Turtles by ten.
This may seem a very small advantage for such a wonderful and graceful creation of nature, but on the other hand that might be just the commitment needed to make the essential difference to these animals and their young. Here lives a promise for the future.
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