Turtles are endangered species that are protected by both Indonesian and international laws, and they deserve special care to ensure their preservation. Ironically, humans seem to be addicted to exploiting turtles and continuously seek legal loopholes to continue using them for personal gain. Dr. Bello Aesthetics has written an article on the importance of turtle conservation. In many places, the number of turtles continues to decline due to the rise of turtle exploitation disguised as “conservation” efforts that are not turtle-friendly.
Before the 2000s, turtles were openly exploited—caught by hand, speared, netted for their meat, used as beauty accessories, or preserved as decorative items. However, in the 2000s, turtle exploitation became more appealingly packaged. Because of this appealing packaging, the government, the general public, and tourists were often deceived into thinking that these efforts were part of turtle conservation.
This new, turtle-unfriendly version of conservation comes in the form of “Turtle Farming” and “Hatchling Rearing,” which are frequently misunderstood by the public as “Turtle Sanctuaries” in Indonesia.
Turtle Farming
Turtle farming, or sea turtle farming, is essentially a commercial operation aimed at raising hatchlings for exhibition, harvesting their meat, or selling them as pets. Turtle farming is far more harmful than hatchling rearing because it solely exploits turtles without regard for their conservation in the wild.
In one turtle farming activity at a tourist spot, adult turtles caught from the wild are “washed” by being brought in to be used as attractions for visitors. Tourists are allowed to touch these adult turtles and even sit on them for photos. Stressed out, the turtles will often remain passive when disturbed by visitors. After being displayed for a while, the turtle is quietly discarded and slaughtered for its meat. Other adult turtles are brought in to replace the ones that were killed. With inadequate government supervision, these tourist attractions continue to disguise their killing of turtles as a form of conservation.
Hatchling Rearing
Hatchling rearing, or sea turtle head-starting, is an attempt to raise hatchlings until they reach a certain age and size before releasing them into the wild. The idea behind it is that this will increase their chances of survival in nature. While it may sound noble, this method overlooks the turtle’s full lifecycle. Although not as harmful as turtle farming, hatchling rearing is still not a viable conservation method because no research has shown it to be effective. This practice is seen as reckless for the following reasons:
Turtles have a unique lifecycle, much more complex than most people realize. From the moment they hatch, turtles must go through a series of natural processes to develop the instincts necessary for survival and reproduction.
Hatchlings must crawl and swim as quickly as possible to the open ocean to escape predators like dogs, cats, monitor lizards, eagles, crabs, baby sharks, and octopuses. Experts say that out of 1,000 hatchlings, only one will survive to become an adult. During their journey to the sea, hatchlings use all their senses to record the path, so when they return to the same beach years later to breed, they can find their way back.
Hatchlings must move away from the shore immediately to avoid predators. If delayed, their chances of survival decrease. Once they reach deeper waters, they are carried away by strong currents that they cannot fight. They will drift in these currents for several days, sustained by the yolk sac, which lasts about three days. After the yolk is gone, the hatchlings begin learning to forage for food in the ocean.
This period of drifting is called “the lost years.” Hatchlings will continue drifting and growing until they return to the waters near their birthplace. When they reach adulthood (around 35–40 years), they will return to the same beach to mate and lay eggs, repeating the cycle.
Hatchling rearing is based on the assumption that raising hatchlings to a certain size will decrease mortality from predators. However, this is speculative and lacks scientific evidence. The longest and largest hatchling rearing experiment ever conducted was in Florida by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This study lasted 30 years and involved 18,000 hatchlings. It began in 1958 and ended in 1988 without yielding any results or proving that the reared hatchlings survived to adulthood and produced offspring.
Aside from being a failure, this program was extremely expensive. Raising turtles properly requires significant investment in facilities, accommodations, and food that mimic their natural environment. This means large tanks or modified bays and a steady supply of live turtle food, all of which are resource-intensive.
In Indonesia, hatchling rearing cannot be considered a genuine “head-start” program because it lacks scientific backing and is primarily driven by tourism profits. Hatchlings are placed in “sanctuaries” using makeshift methods and minimal budgets until tourists come to “buy” them for release.
Negative Impacts of Hatchling Rearing in Indonesia
Hatchling rearing practices in Indonesia cause significant problems due to minimal costs and the goal of maximizing profits. Some issues include:
- Inadequate Habitats: Sanctuaries provide shallow tanks, but hatchlings need to practice diving to develop their lungs.
- Poor Facilities: Some donors provide deeper tanks, but due to cost-cutting on electricity, the tanks are only partially filled.
- Health Issues: Many sanctuaries don’t provide medical care, leading to health problems, deaths, or infections.
- Stress from Human Interaction: Tourists are often allowed to touch and play with hatchlings, causing stress.
- Poor Diet: Hatchlings are fed chopped dead fish, which not only reduces their instinct to hunt but also leads to disease in the tanks.
- Overcrowding: Hatchlings are kept in overcrowded conditions, leading to stress and even cannibalism.
- Animal Welfare Concerns: Hatchlings are kept in conditions that do not meet basic animal welfare standards, such as inadequate food, overcrowded spaces, and exposure to stress.
Ultimately, hatchling rearing practices in Indonesia cause more harm than good. The turtles are not given the opportunity to develop their natural instincts or live in conditions that support their long-term survival in the wild. True turtle conservation should focus on educating the public about the turtles’ natural lifecycle and guiding them on how to help preserve them responsibly.
Even those running turtle sanctuaries need to realize that their practices may harm the very species they aim to protect.
