We Protect Sea Turtles
We Protect Sea Turtles
The project We Protect Sea Turtles, in cooperation with the Indonesian organization Konservasi Biota Laut Berau, deals with the protection of 2 islands in the Berau region (Borneo, Indonesia), which form the most important hatchery for green sea turtles in Southeast Asia and the eighth most important hatchery in the world. There are also critically endangered hawksbill sea turtles here. The project also supports the protection of sea turtles on the island of Lembata in southern Indonesia.
Threats to sea turtles
Human activity is taking a very serious toll on sea turtle populations around the world. Above all, in the Indian Ocean region, turtles are hunted for meat or turtle shells, they become unwanted catches in fishing nets, and their eggs are intensively collected by people for sale and consumption. Turtle nests are threatened by the increasingly intensive development of coastal areas and the loss of beaches due to rising ocean levels. As a result of sea pollution, turtles are also threatened by reduced immunity and a whole range of diseases throughout their lives.
Activities of the project We Protect Sea Turtles
Conservationists from the organization We Protect Sea Turtles are dedicated to directly protecting hatching beaches from poachers, which means carrying clutches of eggs to safety, releasing hatchlings, and cleaning beaches of silt that makes it difficult for turtles to lay their eggs. In addition, however, the project also focuses on educating residents. It works with governments and other conservation organizations, provides consultation, creates educational materials for children, and raises awareness through media publishing.
You can learn more at www.morskezelvy.cz.
How Ostrava Zoo helps
The Ostrava Zoo, together with all its visitors, supported the organization We Protect Sea Turtles (Chráníme mořské želvy, z.s.) through the "1 CZK for Wildlife" program in 2017 and 2018. In addition, our zoo financed the creation of a comprehensive educational publication for the protection of these reptiles. In a fun and original way, the publication brings children and their parents closer to the details of the life and threats to turtles, and especially ways to help them, in the form of colouring pages, quizzes, and supplements. The colouring books have been translated into Czech, English, Indonesian, and Spanish.
