BACOLOD City – Around 53 sea turtle hatchlings were released yesterday morning in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.
Based on information released by the local officials, around 2 a.m. yesterday, 63-year-old Rodolfo Lejarso, a staff of the Saka-saka Beach Resort in Barangay Nauhang, along with several of the resort’s guests, discovered the hatchlings.
The beach resort immediately contacted the city government, while Lejarso and the guests gathered the hatchlings and secured them in a tub with seawater.
Edsel Toledo, Bantay Dagat Coordinator of Sipalay City, together with the City Agriculture Office, came over to the beach resort to document the hatchlings before formally releasing them.
According to Toledo, sea turtle hatchlings gravitate towards the first light they see and were possibly attracted to the resort’s lights.
He also informed the resort’s staff and guests of the importance of the marine creatures in the ecosystem, pointing out that the presence of the sea turtle indicates that the area has a healthy and clean environment. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
