Why Not Raise Sea Turtles to Full Size Before Releasing Them?
The Con Dao National Park Explains
Many curious minds, especially young ones, have wondered about this, and the Con Dao National Park recently provided some illuminating answers, just in time for the turtles' breeding season.
Why We Don't Raise and Release
Let's explore the reasons behind this practice:
1. Maintaining the Natural Order
Sea turtles are wild creatures. They're born with an incredible built-in navigational system. Those first few steps from the sandy beach to the ocean are crucial; they "imprint" the location of their birth, allowing them to return to that exact spot decades later to lay their own eggs.
👉 Raising them in tanks or releasing them far out at sea disrupts this critical imprinting process. They lose their natural survival instincts and struggle to find food in the wild, ultimately threatening their species' survival.
2. Assisting with Incubation – Not Overriding Nature's Course
At the National Park, our role is to safeguard the eggs. We carefully relocate them to secure incubation areas to protect them from various threats:
- The mother turtle accidentally digging up existing nests.
- Theft by humans or predation by monitor lizards and crabs.
- Erosion caused by waves and high tides.
⏳ After approximately 45-60 days, the eggs hatch naturally. The hatchlings are then released directly onto the beach where their mother laid the eggs. This allows them to instinctively crawl into the ocean and mark their "homeland."
3. True Conservation Means Support, Not Domination
The idea of "raising them until they're big" might seem helpful, but it actually interferes with nature's course in a detrimental way. We believe the most effective conservation means allowing nature to follow its natural life cycle, intervening only when absolutely necessary to mitigate negative impacts from human activity and environmental changes.
🐢 Conservation isn't about "forcing nature to do what we want," but about living in harmony with it, respecting and supporting its natural growth.
Thank you to the Con Dao National Park for sharing these lovely images and insightful information! 💓
#checkinvietnam #nature
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