http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/new-straits-times/mi_8016/is_20100812/turtles-making-comeback/ai_n54766243/
New Straits Times, Aug 12, 2010
by Zainuddin Muhammad
DUNGUN: The Puteri Rantau Abang (Rantau Abang Princess) is leaving her birthplace again.
Only this time, the 32-year-old leatherback turtle will be carrying a satellite tracking device on its back. The Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre Research researchers hope this will go a long way in learning more about the migration patterns of leatherback turtles.Malaysian Fisheries Department director-general Datuk Ahamad Sabki Mahmood was present during the release of Puteri back into the sea yesterday. "It is a miracle that leatherback turtles are making a comeback to this (Rantau Abang) area again," said Ahamad, adding that back in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, leatherbacks were synonymous with with the Rantau Abang beach.
There was a dry spell as far as landings were concerned after the mid 1980s, until recently. "But now we are lucky to have three leatherback landings in the past two months alone."Ahamad said the return of Puteri may signal a new beginning in making Rantau Abang a turtle nesting ground again.
The first landing, after a long dry spell, was reported on July 15, where 69 eggs were found. The next was on July 26 with 77 eggs, followed by 91 eggs on Aug 2, 71 on Aug 6, 104 eggs on Aug 8 and 80 eggs on Tuesday. The next speculated period for nesting is between Aug 15 and 20.
Puteri was hatched in Rantau Abang in 1978 and marked by staff from the Fisheries Department on its left flipper. Those days there were no sophisticated marking.
"But we were happy to see her again. She landed here again on July 6," said Ahamad.
Of the three leatherbacks that landed, only Puteri was tagged, on her shell. The device can only be monitored for 14 months because of its battery life-span.
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Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
by Kimberley Mok, Montreal, Canada on 08.21.10
Travel & Nature
Photo via The Montreal Gazette (STR, AFP/Getty Images)
A couple of weeks ago, Jaymi alerted us to the return of green turtles to Malaysian beaches. Threatened by poaching and habitat destruction, initiatives such as hatcheries and stricter conservation measures might help these turtles bounce back.
Now, there's even more cause for celebration as an even rarer beauty makes a surprising comeback: a leatherback turtle, dubbed "Puteri Rantau Abang" or Rantau Abang Princess, has shown up last week on one of Malaysia's beaches of the same name, after a 32-year absence.
The largest of all sea turtles, as a species the leatherback has been around for 75 million years. The northern state of Terengganu, where the Rantau Abang beach is located, is Malaysia's sole nesting place for the endangered leatherback, which used to come in the thousands to lay their eggs before overfishing, poaching and pollution decimated their numbers.
According to The Montreal Gazette:
The Puteri Rantau Abang, which was hatched in the area in 1978 and marked on its shell and left flipper, returned at a weight of 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds), measuring 1.5 metres (five feet) in length and 1.16 metres wide.
It was released back into the sea on Thursday, carrying a satellite transmitter which will help conservationists track turtle migration patterns.
"It is a miracle that leatherback turtles are making a comeback to this area," said Malaysian Fisheries Department director-general Ahamad Sabki Mahmood. [..] "We expect Puteri Rantau Abang to head for Vietnam and Japan before heading to the Pacific."
Worldwide, there's still a lot left to be understood about sea turtle migrations, though we know that the largest nesting area for leatherbacks is in Gabon, Africa. So even with this astonishing event, there's still much to be done to help protect sea turtles in the future. Malaysian officials are hoping that these amazing creatures will return to nest the coming weeks, so we'll post further developments as they come.
More on Turtles:-
What You Can Do to Protect Sea Turtles
Plastic Found in 1/3 of Leatherback Turtles, According to Study
Tens of Thousands of Leatherback Turtles Nest on Gabonese Coast
2,000 Endangered Sea Turtles Killed or Injured by Frigid Waters in Florida (Photos)
Scientists Track Sea Turtles' Mysterious Travels for Better Conservation
Rare 'Princess' Turtle Makes 'Miracle' Comeback on Malaysian Beach
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