You-Want's Life

Did you know, even when sea turtle eggs are successfully incubated, it is estimated that only 1 out of 1000 babies would survive till adulthood?  My recent site visit to Rimbun Dahan Turtle Hatchery, Terengganu has opened my eyes to the fragility of sea turtles' survival. Sea turtle eggs are exposed to dangers of being poached by humans, hunted by monitor lizards, infested by fungi and maggots; when they hatch, babies might be attacked by predators such as foxes, crabs and sea birds on their way to the sea. Even when they reach the ocean, carnivorous fish and sea birds remain huge threats.  When my group was handed baby sea turtles to release, we got to let them race. I named mine 'Gomenasai', the Japanese word for 'Sorry', as an apology on behalf of humans to their kind. It's been way too long since humans started poaching sea turtle eggs and destroying their habitats and nesting grounds with pollution as well as coastal development. We were told that the best ...

This is a short photo blog on my recent trip to Kuala Terengganu. While I did not manage to visit many touristy places, I still do have some photos to share with you! ;) The new Kuala Terengganu Draw Bridge. Scenic view from Panorama Restaurant , which is located on a hill top.  Chinatown in Kuala Terengganu. There are 7 beautifully decorated alleys here. Turtle Alley is one of them! They are mostly decorated with murals, wall art and props. I had Spicy Butter Chicken Spaghetti at the Hidden Cafe in Chinatown. By, Euan Thum.

Read previous episode:  WCP by CM Day 3: Into A Mangrove Swamp! The fourth day of our trip started off early as well. Charisma Movement 's Environmental Project Director, Bella, led the way in Kuala Terengganu as we went to Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) to pick up SEATRU staffs, Syam and Akil. They were to accompany us on our trip to Chagar Hutang Turtle Hatchery on Redang Island that day. University Malaysia Terengganu is well-known for its Marine Biology course, Chagar Hutang's beach is in fact was gazetted by the Terengganu state to conserve the turtles. At the same time, Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) was given the authority to work on the research and education purposes too. It took us a 45-minute boat ride to arrive at Chagar Hutang from a jetty near Marang.    As we were dropped off at the beach, all we could notice was the pollution-free water and clean beach with poles sticking out everywhere. We then learned that they were markings of sea turtle nests...

Read previous episode:  WCP by CM Day 2 Part 2/2: Releasing Baby Sea Turtles We left Kemaman early in the morning, with our bags packed, as we head to Kerteh. We were going to spend the next two nights in Kuala Terengganu, which is the state capital of Terengganu.    Similar to the past two days, the representatives from Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia (TCS) led the way as they were facilitating our Wildlife Conservation Project by Charisma Movement . We drove past Petronas (Oil & Gas price leader in the region!) buildings- research centres and probably facilities that process petroleum harvested from their off-shore platforms. Terengganu is located in the East Coast of West Malaysia, by the South China Sea where many oil drilling rigs are built. We were excited to check out our next destination, EcoCare Centre Kerteh , as we were promised a series of activities revolving around mangroves.   We started off with breakfast at the centre as we arrived ...