Amazing Nature Contest - The sea turtle, an admiration for a threatened beauty

in Amazing Nature3 years ago

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First of all, perhaps, I must make a confession. Maybe it's a little embarrassing, but it's true. Revealing reality and truth, I think, is the only way to rectify and correct perceptions.

I was born and raised on the northern tip of an island in western Southeast Asia, and have lived near the coast. At one time in my life, I was familiar with sea turtle eggs. Our family, who frequently commutes between the west coast and east coast of Aceh, often stops in several cities on the west coast where residents sell us sea turtle eggs. I really enjoy sea turtle eggs which are rich in protein and can still remember how delicious they were. I've also heard a lot of stories about people harvesting sea turtle eggs - or from a sea turtle perspective, they're thieves of the eggs. Some of them are stories of ridiculous incidents.

But, oddly and perhaps a little embarrassing, even though I am so familiar with sea turtles, I have never seen sea turtles directly with my eyes in my life, until a few days ago an event has become a milestone in my life in this case, where for the first time in my life I saw a sea turtle with my eyes. So, the sight of sea turtles is not something ordinary for all islanders. For example, me. This is the first time I see that.

In that very short event, I was so emotional, my mind was so excited, joy and compassion appeared at once, my eyes seemed to want to shed tears while my lips could not leave the smile. They are so beautiful, so wonderful in my sight. So, just in terms of how I felt at that time, I think, I've found a reason to share here. This is the first time I have observed these beauties under threat.

Now, please let me tell you about this touching and happy event.

At that time I was on the coast of Krueng Raya bay, in Aceh Besar, a bay where there is a local port. After half an hour there, the fishermen have almost finished pulling their land trawlers out of the sea. From a place some distance away from them, I noticed that someone suddenly ran towards the net which was still submerged in sea water, and lifted a large object out of the net. I wonder what it is. I haven't seen that happen in all this time, be it wood or rock. I walked quickly to them, wanting to ask.

When I got near them, I watched them rush to open the net bag, only to find that two turtles had been trapped inside. A young man then immediately pulled a sea turtle out. Another sea turtle followed behind it. I didn't stand still anymore, and immediately took very emotional pictures. The two sea turtles pushed their bodies with their arms with some difficulty to return to the sea. Some fishermen try to help them until they both can float back in the sea water.

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From the way I move and the expression on my face, from my strange behavior, maybe, the fishermen who are used to the event and the scenery, they might know that I am someone who has never seen a sea turtle. And that is absolutely true. After that, I asked an old fisherman, are the turtles here often?

"They've been here a few weeks, and often get caught in the net," he said.

According to the old fisherman, the three that often get caught in the fishing net are the same sea turtles. When I ask, do they lay their eggs on the sand of this beach? The fisherman replied, we don't know where they lay their eggs.

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These sea turtles are green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Their populations span all tropical and subtropical seas, especially in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and these are probably among the populations found in the Indian Ocean. It is called the green sea turtle because of the green fat under its shell. Because almost all types of sea turtles, including green sea turtles, are often caught in various places in the world whether for meat and carapace, and their eggs are also harvested (stolen), these sea turtles are included in the list of threatened or endangered animals. The Indonesian government, in 1999, issued a regulation requiring the protection of all types of sea turtles, including green sea turtles.

One of the sea turtles trapped in the fishing net I estimate has a body about 80 cm long and about 40-50 wide, so it seems quite big. These air-breathing, lung-breathing reptiles appear to have lost their diving endurance while trapped in the nets, so the fishermen try to pull their nets ashore as quickly as possible when they find the sea turtles trapped and set them free. I heard the fishermen joking with sea turtles. "You and you again get into the net!" said one of them with a laugh.

It is a relief and joy to see when these beauties who have existed since the time of the dinosaurs return to their habitat in the seagrass that grows in the bay to perform its ecosystem role, cut short the seagrass so that it can grow on the seabed, and become a place for breed of many marine animals. When they fulfill their role in the ecosystem, humans can enjoy a variety of delicious marine species. They are so beautiful, and so important to protect.

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"My blog is my journal" (short notes containing experiences about various things).

Thank you for visiting.

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It is wise to reconsider, I congratulate you.
The joy that overwhelmed your feeling is perceived in the post.
I was able to observe, reflection, feeling and information.
Turtles have a particular rhythm that offers them more years of life. What do you think?

Thank you very much, @amandaj.

Reflections, feelings and information. That's awesome! I am so glad, @amandaj, that you can penetrate the jungle of my words to find the main elements that configure my narrative relief. In terms of lifespan, that is another amazing thing about sea turtles. These creatures, which are also sometimes referred to as living fossils, need 20-30 years to reach maturity, then around the next 10 years they are actively reproductive. In terms of lifespan, that is another amazing thing about sea turtles. These creatures, which are also sometimes referred to as living fossils, need 20-30 years to reach maturity, then around the next 10 years they are actively reproductive. They turned out not only to explore the oceans, but they also swam in long spans of time.

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 3 years ago (edited) 

These creatures are such majestic ones ^^ actually the logo for the AN community is a turtle too, haha .. Great to see that they are all working together to save this one here .. But hearing about eating sea turtle eggs kind of leaves a little tear from my eyes ;( .. great post, I really like it. It also looks really cool how the little fish are still sticking to the turtles shell. Unfortunately where were not as lucky as the turtle itself ^^ .. I am forwarding you to OCD with this one ^^

Yes, they are amazingly awesome. They have many things that I really admire like their ability to swim thousands of kilometers, sleep in water, and so on. Anyway, being able to see them and release them to the sea, it was the happiest moment for me. But, at the same time, I deeply regret the cruel treatment that has been done to them in many parts of the world. They are truly very beautiful even though they cannot pull their heads into their protective shells like other tortoises.😀 Proud, it is the logo of the AN community. 😀 Thank you very much for your attention, and I really appreciate it.

What an open and honest blog. And good that you have a new insight now. Sea turtles are amazing creatures indeed.
We really have to take good care of them and their environment.

I just heard in the news that the Corona virus was good for the sea turtles in Greece since they now can lay their eggs on the empty beaches because the lack of tourists. Corona does bring some good things...

Some good news. Hopefully sea turtles can be more protected. Thank you very much for the comments.

Something I would really like to witness one day, Turtle Conservation South Africa have to time it right. We do go into this region however special arrangement needs to be made to be allowed in under supervision.

Amazing sighting you experienced here something to treasure forever @keuudeip

That's a good plan. Hopefully that can be achieved in the near future. It is truly a wonderful thing to experience.

Thank you very much, Joan.