KOTA KINABALU: A green turtle was washed to the shore at Pantai Dalit recently and was spotted by a guest of Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort and Spa.
The resort immediately notified the Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) which subsequently dispatched a team of veterinarians and rangers to check on the turtle. They identified the turtle as the endangered Green turtle, found abundantly in Malaysia.
It nests in great numbers on the sandy beaches and islands of Sabah and a few other states in Malaysia. The WRU team and Rasa Ria Reserve Rangers joined hands to rescue the turtle.
The rescued Green turtle is now under the care of the team from the WRU headed by senior veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan at the YTL Gaya Island Resort Turtle Rescue Centre and Marine Sanctuary. Here it will be under observation and care of experts for the next few weeks as they try to nurse it back to health and eventually relocate it to a safe habitat.
“Rasa Ria advocates the protection of wildlife through conservation and education with the help of our dedicated 64-acre Forest Reserve. The resort collaborates with various partners such as the Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah Park and Wildlife Rescue Unit among others to drive the importance of conservation and protection of wildlife. It was a privilege to shoulder the responsibility of rescuing this turtle along with the experts from Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit. The resort also supports ocean health and marine life through it’s No Plastics Campaign (launched in February 2018) by successfully eliminating the use of plastic straws, single-use plastic bottles, reducing plastic bags as well as increasing knowledge and awareness on the importance of reducing human impact on the ocean,” the Resort general manager Fiona Hagan said.
