The Green Turtle, Pulau Jemur, and History of Our Ancestor

The hanging moon is above the sea. On this small island, the sound of the waves regularly breaks the silence. In the clear sky, the stars are appearing. I am longing for something but I can not say. A strange longing happens when living in isolation on the middle of the open seawhile looking at the running waves towards the edge of the beach.

The reflection of the tiny lights from the fisherman boats are sparkling like firefly. Nights is getting colder, but they are still busy with their net hoping that the fish have gone into the trap which have been casted since the day time.

The night is in the late hour. The birds have been sleeping soundly in their nest. Pulau Jemur at where I am standing right now is getting smaller. A female green turtle in scientific
name called Chelonia mydas is moving very slowly out from sea water. She is looking around to make sure the beach is empty and no other creatures except herself at the end of night.

After she feels safe and free from the waves, the female turtle slowly digs up the hole. She is lying eggs at the night. Slightly different with other egg layer animals, to lays the egg turtle will wait until the situation is completely quiet.

Although she has a great passion for laying eggs, but if any disturbance from animal or human being she will delay it and back to the sea. But when lying eggs is under process she does not care about the surroundings. She keep lying eggs until finish. Very unique isn’t it?

After she find good timing and good location, the female turtle put its body into the sands. One green turtle is able to lay 100 until 150 eggs. Not all of the eggs hatch. From one hundred eggs not more than 7 baby turtles could reach the sea safely. The nature is the key factor whether the eggs could hatch or not. I along with other participants Kemah Wartawan Indonesia in Rokan Hilir Riau are trying to learn this process with amazement.

Soon after her job done, the female turtle will make many holes which are similar in size and form to the first hole for camouflage to prevent the eggs taken away by any predator. Very smart. The male turtle sometimes helps to find the safe location for female turtle to lay eggs. Mostly this job is done by female itself.

Pulau Jemur administratively is a part of territory of Rokan Hilir Regancy, Riau. In the past time, Pulau Jemur claimed by North Sumatera and Riau, at last Riau took advantage to posses this beautiful island. Besides its beautiful panorama, this island becomes a natural breeding for green (Posal) Lanal Dumai in cooperation with Regional Government of Rokan Hilir, Riau has established the turtle conversation project. All the turtle’s eggs are kept in a special room for hatching.

Usually, after the turtle laying its eggs, the officials take the eggs carefully and put them into the pail which has been filled up with the hot sands. Then they are brought into hatchery room. In the hatchery, all eggs were laid like the shape of pyramid, and every layer filled with the sand for hatched the turtle egg easily moves out if not the hatching will die of squeezing one to another.

The hatchling of tukik then are released into available pool by official. The turtles stay there until the age of 6 or 9 months. At this age, they are strong enough to be sent back in their natural habitat, the sea. There they become a part of the ecosystem. The turtle predator are seahawk, big fishes, and other sea creatures. Here the turtle could live 15 until 20 years of age.

Usually April until June are the season for the turtle to lay eggs. But all along the year there is the turtle still laying its eggs. Every year the officers who work for the turtle breeding succeeds to hactch about 1.000 eggs. But not all of tukik (hatchlings) could survive until the old age. Hunting for turtle by irresponsible persons is very often, as a result the quantity of turtles are declining.