Rare sea turtle eggs under Navy custody

Protective custody of law enforcers is not only prescribed to a person in danger but also to an endangered marine species.

Expressing safety concerns, marine biologists decided to transfer 99 eggs laid by a Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) 50 meters away from the original nesting site along the Yawa River in Barangay Rawis in Legazpi City, and place these under the protective custody of the Philippine Navy.

The Leatherback, the largest marine turtle in the world, has been considered an endangered species. Commonly found only in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, it normally lays 50 to 110 eggs.

On Friday, marine biologists from the Protected Area Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), led by Angie Beloria, transferred the eggs laid by a 2-meter-long Leatherback on July 14, according to Ensign John Duruin, Naval Forces Southern Luzon spokesperson.

It was the first recorded Leatherback nesting and egg transfer in the country, said Duruin, quoting the biologists. A similar transfer of eggs laid by an ordinary marine turtle took place twice on Turtle Island in Tawi-Tawi, he said.

Safe from predators

Gilbert Gonzales, director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Bicol, said the latest movement was necessary to protect the eggs from predators, such as dogs and cats, and even from people who might try to dig up the nesting site out of curiosity.

On July 16, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda created Task Force Pawikan, which he himself would lead, to assist the DENR and Navy in securing the eggs.

“The new nesting site is a replica of the original one, enclosed by a perimeter fence of plastic screen,” Duruin said by phone on Sunday. It takes 45 to 70 days for the eggs to hatch.

The mother turtle was helped back to the sea by villagers and representatives from the PN Naval Forces for Southern Luzon (Navforsol) and DENR at 8 p.m. of July 14, a day after laying its eggs.

Leathery shell

Myrna Baylon, wildlife section chief of the Protected Areas Wildlife Coastal Zone Management Services in Bicol, said the turtle weighed 250 to 300 kilograms. It was expected to return to the same nesting site after two weeks to lay another set of eggs, she said.

Information gathered by Task Force Pawikan showed that the Leatherbacks are the only sea turtles without hard bony shells (carapace). The shell is about 1.5-inches thick and made of leathery, oil-saturated connective tissues.

The front flippers do not have claws or scales and are proportionally longer than those of other sea turtles. The back flippers are paddle-shaped.

Both their ridged carapace and large flippers make the Leatherback uniquely equipped for long distance travel and migration. Mar S. Arguelles