Distance: 37.07 km
Max speed: 35.1 km/h
Average while moving: 16.7 km/h
Reading in bed last night, I heard a strange clattering noise. It took me a few seconds to realise it was the sound of rain on the roof. It sounded very heavy indeed and I thought it might mean a third day in Melaka. Not usually a bad thing, but I had made arrangements to meet Min Min's team at the Turtle Centre so I was anxious to get away.
At 6 am the rain was still quite heavy. I decided to pack anyway and by 7:40 when the rain slowed to a fine drizzle, my bike was packed, my bill settled and I was ready to go. The first couple of kms were fine, but the moment I left the shelter afforded by the seaside buildings, the full force of the sea breeze hit me. The rain also came down again and the two slowed me right down. At times, I could even feel a gentle push on the bike and had to keep a firm grip on the steering to track a straight line.
It certainly was tough going for awhile, even though the road was fairly flat. The further I got out of Melaka town though the more hilly it became. As I headed inland, at least the coastal winds were blocked. The drizzle persisted, however, and the bike was feeling a little rough with the sand getting everywhere. I eventually stopped for breakfast at Sg Udang where there is a forest reserve or nature park. The drinks stall owner brought me a very welcome Teh-O and also gave me directions to the Turtle Centre.
The route he suggested took me up some very long hills, but did cut the distance down a little from what the map had indicated. Some of the hills were a little sapping, but I think I'm getting fitter as they don't bother me as much as the Batu Pahat hills did.
Min Min was busy elsewhere so when I eventually got to Pantai Kemunting where the Centre actually is, I called Arvind, one of her team members who suggested I check in at the Ismah Beach Resort. It turns out the centre is only a couple of hundred metres up the kampung road and we met up a few minutes after I'd had a chance to get cleaned up.
Arvind is a recent graduate who has worked on this project for about a year. He's from KL and spends his weekdays in Melaka, returning home on weekends, except when it's turtle season when it's a case of all hands on deck for the very stretched team of 4.
He is tremendously passionate and energetic and for someone who professes to be much more comfortable with turtles (or painted terrapins for the matter) than people, he came across as very friendly and warm too. He showed me around the information centre and the hatchery.
There are registered egg collectors among the local residents. Due to the prevalence of poaching, this is a great help as during the nesting season, the eggs have to be collected as quickly as possible. The eggs from the nests on the nearby beaches are transported to the hatchery where they are reburied immediately.
There is an island nearby where this isn't possible as the travelling time is too great. Hence the eggs from there are kept in styrofoam boxes for the duration of the incubation period. The boxes are kept in a locked room and monitored for temperature and dampness.
Arvind gave me a sobering statistic: in a good season about 14000 eggs are collected. The hatching rate is about 50%, so maybe about 7000 eggs eventually hatch. A study recently indicated that only 1 in 1000 hatchlings actually make it to adulthood. This means that in a good season, only 7 turtles actually survive. It's no wonder the Hawksbill Turtle is so endangered - let's not even talk about the Leatherback Turtle which is not even seen in our waters anymore.
Despite the great odds stacked against the turtles, Arvind, together with Grace and Hafiz whom I met a little later, were not short of enthusiasm and passion. And as if dealing with natural issues isn't enough, the project staff have to face resistance from local fishermen who feel the eggs are a natural resource to be enjoyed by all. This resistance has been known to have a much more sinister and frightening edge.
In a way, I can understand the attitude of the locals, even if I realise the work that the WWF do here has a much longer term consideration. Enforcement is definitely needed, while the WWF try to educate as well.
I wasn't able to be there when the hatchlings were released to the sea, but the project does have a volunteer programme where people can sign up for a minimum of one week's work. I will definitely try to do that next season!
I've always been interested in wildlife conservation and have often spoken about my interest but as I left Arvind, Grace and Hafiz, I realised that here were three (and their project leader, Min Min) people who were quietly going about doing the work and in sometimes difficult conditions too. Later that evening I sent Grace an SMS to say I thought they were doing important work. She thanked me for the encouragement but deep down inside me, I just felt it was so little I'd actually done.
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Max speed: 35.1 km/h
Average while moving: 16.7 km/h
Reading in bed last night, I heard a strange clattering noise. It took me a few seconds to realise it was the sound of rain on the roof. It sounded very heavy indeed and I thought it might mean a third day in Melaka. Not usually a bad thing, but I had made arrangements to meet Min Min's team at the Turtle Centre so I was anxious to get away.
At 6 am the rain was still quite heavy. I decided to pack anyway and by 7:40 when the rain slowed to a fine drizzle, my bike was packed, my bill settled and I was ready to go. The first couple of kms were fine, but the moment I left the shelter afforded by the seaside buildings, the full force of the sea breeze hit me. The rain also came down again and the two slowed me right down. At times, I could even feel a gentle push on the bike and had to keep a firm grip on the steering to track a straight line.
It certainly was tough going for awhile, even though the road was fairly flat. The further I got out of Melaka town though the more hilly it became. As I headed inland, at least the coastal winds were blocked. The drizzle persisted, however, and the bike was feeling a little rough with the sand getting everywhere. I eventually stopped for breakfast at Sg Udang where there is a forest reserve or nature park. The drinks stall owner brought me a very welcome Teh-O and also gave me directions to the Turtle Centre.
The route he suggested took me up some very long hills, but did cut the distance down a little from what the map had indicated. Some of the hills were a little sapping, but I think I'm getting fitter as they don't bother me as much as the Batu Pahat hills did.
Min Min was busy elsewhere so when I eventually got to Pantai Kemunting where the Centre actually is, I called Arvind, one of her team members who suggested I check in at the Ismah Beach Resort. It turns out the centre is only a couple of hundred metres up the kampung road and we met up a few minutes after I'd had a chance to get cleaned up.
Arvind is a recent graduate who has worked on this project for about a year. He's from KL and spends his weekdays in Melaka, returning home on weekends, except when it's turtle season when it's a case of all hands on deck for the very stretched team of 4.
He is tremendously passionate and energetic and for someone who professes to be much more comfortable with turtles (or painted terrapins for the matter) than people, he came across as very friendly and warm too. He showed me around the information centre and the hatchery.
There are registered egg collectors among the local residents. Due to the prevalence of poaching, this is a great help as during the nesting season, the eggs have to be collected as quickly as possible. The eggs from the nests on the nearby beaches are transported to the hatchery where they are reburied immediately.
There is an island nearby where this isn't possible as the travelling time is too great. Hence the eggs from there are kept in styrofoam boxes for the duration of the incubation period. The boxes are kept in a locked room and monitored for temperature and dampness.
Arvind gave me a sobering statistic: in a good season about 14000 eggs are collected. The hatching rate is about 50%, so maybe about 7000 eggs eventually hatch. A study recently indicated that only 1 in 1000 hatchlings actually make it to adulthood. This means that in a good season, only 7 turtles actually survive. It's no wonder the Hawksbill Turtle is so endangered - let's not even talk about the Leatherback Turtle which is not even seen in our waters anymore.
Despite the great odds stacked against the turtles, Arvind, together with Grace and Hafiz whom I met a little later, were not short of enthusiasm and passion. And as if dealing with natural issues isn't enough, the project staff have to face resistance from local fishermen who feel the eggs are a natural resource to be enjoyed by all. This resistance has been known to have a much more sinister and frightening edge.
In a way, I can understand the attitude of the locals, even if I realise the work that the WWF do here has a much longer term consideration. Enforcement is definitely needed, while the WWF try to educate as well.
I wasn't able to be there when the hatchlings were released to the sea, but the project does have a volunteer programme where people can sign up for a minimum of one week's work. I will definitely try to do that next season!
I've always been interested in wildlife conservation and have often spoken about my interest but as I left Arvind, Grace and Hafiz, I realised that here were three (and their project leader, Min Min) people who were quietly going about doing the work and in sometimes difficult conditions too. Later that evening I sent Grace an SMS to say I thought they were doing important work. She thanked me for the encouragement but deep down inside me, I just felt it was so little I'd actually done.
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