World Turtle Day in Mabul Island

In conjunction with World Turtle Day on May 23, 2013, an awareness programme on the survival of turtle population has been held in Mabul Island, Semporna, Sabah.

It involves efforts to monitor the growth of sea turtles in that area which is also under the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)’s research.

Those who took part in the event will also have the opportunity to look closely at how UMS Borneo Marine Research senior lecturer Dr Pushpa Palaniappan conducts the study on turtles' size.

These turtles will be caught and the size will be measured size before marked for research purposes and released back into the sea.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Pang Yuk Min, who officiated the event, said the conservation efforts need to be enhanced in order to preserve the iconic turtle tourism in Sabah.

Malaysia is home to four out of the seven marine turtles in the world, and their status ranges from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

For the past 20 years, population of marine turtles, depending on its species, has declined significantly. During the period, population of Leatherbacks, Olive Ridleys and Green Turtles declined by 99 per cent, 95 per cent and more than 60 per cent, respectively.

"Furthermore, the tourists and students also have the opportunity to reach out to the marine species through the programme," said the deputy minister.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with World Turtle Day, WWF-Malaysia has released a song titled ‘Senyum Penyu, Senyum Kita’.

The song was written by multi-artist and musician, Kamrul Hussin @ Waklong and lyrics by Arina Amin.

Warner Music Malaysia’s singer-songwriter, Asmidar, lends her trademark silky vocals to the song that aims to get everyone to groove while taking a stand for turtles.

The song was inspired by the turtle’s journey and hopefully will encourage not only local communities, but also Malaysian to take part in protecting the endangered creatures.