back to the main building because it's time to release freshly hatched turtles
the Phillipines are not far away
turtles lay their eggs at night, so we have ample time to explore the island
the turtle hatchery, protected from predators
staff use a wheel barrow to transport our belongings ashore
not all hatchlings make it to the ocean, this little fellow got lost and died under the hot sun
Pulau Selingaan, also called Turtle Island, is one of three islands of the Turtle Islands Park, a two hours journey by boat from Sandakan.
The
island is a sanctuary and nursery for green and hawksbill turtles.
The island has basic facilities for a limited number of tourists
that have to stay overnight.
Park rangers will wake you up at night to watch a mother turtle lay her eggs in a pit
she just dug at the beach.
Flashlights are not allowed, so the pictures are a bit blurry.
Afterwards you are encouraged
to help release cute hatchling turtles into the ocean while staff recovers the freshly laid eggs.
We visited Turtle Island
in August 2004 and release our own little turtles. Wonder where they are now....
leaving the jetty at Sandakan for the 2 hour journey to Selingaan Island
we arrive at Selingaan island, the police is already there
just follow the beach and you will be back in no time, it's a small island
at 10 PM we are called to the beach to witness a turtle deposit her eggs in a freshly dug nest
