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Having traveled throughout Vietnam several times, Tuan saw and became aware of the beautiful natural landscapes of Vietnam, yet they also harbored environmental problems affecting the survival of rare wildlife, especially sea turtles. During his first visit to Con Dao in April 2022, he learned about sea turtle conservation activities there and harbored the intention of participating. After three years, in April of this year, Tuan was accepted as a volunteer for the sea turtle conservation program and set off for Con Dao.
Tuan and other volunteers are on their way to Con Dao to participate in a sea turtle conservation program.
Before participating in this activity, Tuan had learned a great deal more about sea turtles, their habitat, habits, and the situation of sea turtles in Vietnam in general and Con Dao in particular.
Con Dao National Park has a total natural area of 19,883.15 hectares, of which 14,000 hectares are for marine conservation and 20,500 hectares are for a marine buffer zone. It is home to 18 nesting beaches for sea turtles, including green sea turtles (Chelonia mycelia). This is the first place in Vietnam to successfully implement a sea turtle conservation program, with over 85% of the sea turtles that come ashore to lay eggs in Vietnamese waters. From April to November each year, more than 600 mother turtles return to their nesting sites to lay eggs, resulting in the rescue and release of over 150,000 hatchlings. Con Dao National Park is recognized by the Vietnam Book of Records as the place with the highest number of baby turtles released back into the sea.
Con Dao National Park is the most successful site for sea turtle conservation in Vietnam.
At 2 a.m., Tuan and a few other volunteers quietly walked along the beach, their barefoot footprints imprinted on the cool sand. Less than 20 minutes later, a mother turtle crawled ashore from the sea. At that moment, Tuan could only stand still, holding his breath as time seemed to stand still. “I’ve wandered all over the country for three years, but never before have I been so moved. I’m standing before something so immense – a symbol of life, of nature that humans could never create,” Tuan said.
Once the mother turtle finds a suitable spot, she quietly uses her front paws to fan the sand around her, creating a large hole. Then, using her hind paws, she digs a hole, slowly closes her paws, and strains to lay eggs about the size of ping-pong balls. A single mother turtle can lay up to four clutches of eggs in 2-3 weeks, each clutch containing approximately 70-200 eggs.
Tuan silently watched the mother turtle lay her eggs on the sand.
After the mother turtles lay their eggs, Tuan and the volunteers use their trained techniques to transfer the eggs to the incubation pit, ensuring they can be born safely and increasing the hatching and survival rates of the hatchlings. The incubation pit is prepared with separate "nests," placed in two areas, with and without roofs, to balance the ratio of male and female turtles. The sex of the turtles is determined by the temperature around the nest; temperatures above 29 degrees Celsius increase the proportion of female turtles. After about 45-60 days, the eggs hatch into hatchlings and are released back into the sea.
Volunteers used professional techniques to move the turtle eggs to the incubation pit.
Sea turtles are usually released in the early morning when the sun is shining. Volunteers stand a short distance from the shore so the turtles can orient themselves and remember their birthplace, so they can return to lay their eggs later. Volunteers must ensure they do not interfere with the turtles' journey to the sea: they must not touch the hatchlings, drive away their natural predators such as sharks and seabirds during this time, and make no noise.
The scene that impressed Tuan the most was when he released a baby turtle with a "deformity" in its belly back into the sea. Despite its difficulty moving, the turtle didn't give up, struggling to turn and roll, inching forward little by little on the sand. Staying and observing the entire process, Tuan was deeply moved by the little turtle's strong will to live: "Even though it spent four or five times longer at sea than its counterparts, that turtle never gave up, its heart solely focused on the light and the deep blue ocean, even when it didn't know if it would survive until tomorrow."
The moment of watching the mother turtle lay her eggs and return to the sea at dawn was an unforgettable experience for Tuan.
Baby turtles return to the ocean, beginning their life cycle on the sandy beaches of Con Dao.
This year's sea turtle conservation program, implemented by IUCN and Con Dao National Park, will run from May to August, with a total of nine sessions, each accepting 20 volunteers. For those intending to participate, Tuan advises early registration as the competition rate is very high for each session. Volunteers need to be in good health as they often have to stay up late and wake up early, and also need to be knowledgeable about sea turtles and the marine environment in Con Dao.
The sea turtle conservation program, aimed at preserving and increasing the number of turtles in the wild, has received support and participation from many volunteers and tourists.
Sea turtles are facing extinction due to major threats such as loss of nesting grounds due to human activities, loss of eggs to predators, overfishing, pollution, and marine debris. Each year, only about 300-400 mother turtles return to Con Dao to lay eggs, and the survival rate of hatchlings to adulthood is only 1 in 1000. They often die from dehydration if they don't get back to the sea quickly enough after hatching or are attacked by predators.
After his journey in sea turtle conservation, Tuan realized the profound danger that humans pose to them: "Sea turtles - sacred creatures of the ocean - are gradually disappearing from the world because of lights, waste, fishing nets, and many other things, but perhaps the biggest cause is still us."
