News

24 July 2008: We like messages at the KSTCP. Thank you to Ruwan Jayatillaka for the nice email below. If anyone else - locals, visitors, volunteers would like to send us any messages, please do!

"Hello There,

It's being pleasure send you guys a comment and wishes ,for the great work that you have been doing over the years.

Also i have to mention that ,i was born and brought up in 500m away from where you are.Many thanks to Dudley who invented this project and brought this far ( i remember when he start this turtle hatchery may be 10 years ago) I admire his enthusiasm ,determination and trust that he had about this project.This project brought excellent recognition to Kosgoda among locals and foreign tourists , which our village urgently required as it's developing.

As a concern villager and a hospitality professional i also have lots of faith about my home town and its developments, even though i live in Colombo.Please accept my personal appreciation for bringing recognition to this small village.

Most importantly i always want to tell you is ,the community work that all of you done as volunteers after the tsunami( which my mother highly appreciated every time when we talk about tsunami,i was not in Sri Lanka then)That sincere thanks goes to all of them who were there then behalf of my family and villagers.please pass this among them if you have their contacts.

I found this web address as i was walking pass by hatchery last week,and i will make awareness of this project among my local and foreign contacts who love the nature.

Keep in touch by mailing, with the information about your new programs.

Many Thanks again and keep up the good work.

Ruwan Jayatillaka."

1 March 2008: I have relaunched the website today with some new material. Bascially, it is a lot more streamlined and should hopefully be easier to maintain and update in future. Any comments gratefully appreciated!

31 Jan 2006: KSTCP in the new. Cribbed article from Sri Lanka's Daily News (a feature in the Magazine section no less) presented in full below. Complete with authentic typos. Excellent article and snaps - strangely brooding one of Dudley and a great journo cheesey-shot of Gemma, Richard, Dudley, Dan, Sharon and Sheryl. Well done everyone - you're famous!

"Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery

BY INDEEWARA Thilakarathne

ROUGH waves of the Indian Ocean dashed upon the beach in the coastal village of Kosgoda. The same waves that destroyed the village and entire communities along the Southern Coast were now tamed as if nothing had happened.

In fact, these are the same waves that destroyed the village leaving a shattered beach with remnants of rubbles.

However almost after one year, the village seems to be awakening from the ashes of rubble. 'Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery', 35 kilometres away from Colombo, near Naya Aduwa Gala bent on the Colombo-Galle Road, was heaven for turtles until it was destroyed by tsunami waves.

The project, which contributed immensely to the protection of this endangered species, had also been one of the best examples for the voluntary participation in the conservation of beach and marine plants.

Restarting the project

The project has now been re-started at the same premises with few tanks and hatching space for the turtle eggs collected from the beach.

The tsunami had not only deprived these turtles their hatchery grounds but also the marine plants that grew along the beach, which provided a cover for them to lay eggs. Re-planting of mangroves is also an important part of the project.

Volunteers from an English Voluntary Organisation 'I-to-I' work with locals in this project. Jemma, a volunteer from UK who has been working in the project for five months told the Daily News that releasing turtles back into the sea was a wonderful experience.

"We are very happy to be here and had a few turtles hatching and release them back into the sea. It was a lovely experience to release turtles back into the sea".

Eggs and release

Richard, a co-ordinator of the volunteers in Sri Lanka said that he had been actively engaged in the project for two and half years.

"There is a problem of selling turtle eggs in the market, so we offer the same amount of money and buy turtle eggs from them. Then we put the eggs in the hatchery for three months and release them into the sea.

If we have twenty turtles, we release 10 a day and some turtle sanctuaries release turtles during the day and are vulnerable to be victims of predators such as birds, crabs. We also make sure that the beach is clean enough for the turtle to lay eggs. Presently we plant over 8,000 rina plants which provide safe grounds for turtles to lay eggs", said Richard.

Dudly who is in charge of the project said that they have also started re-planting of mangroves along the coast as it was proved that coast with mangroves cover suffered less damage than the other parts, which were naked at the time of tsunami.

Pictures by Mahinda Vithanachchi"

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