Turtle eggs

I remembered when we were at Pulau Pejantan, there was this household with lots of “ping pong balls” in Styrofoam boxes just outside their house. I wondered to myself why were there an abundant of it on a remote island? Could it be a form of entertainment for the islanders just as how it was for Pulau Pinagseribu where people play volleyball? However, there were no traces of ping pong tables…

As I walked further in to join my voyage mates crowding around one villager, I learnt that this particular household operates as a turtle sanctuary. Those “ping pong balls” I saw were actually turtle eggs! I have always thought of turtles as such a graceful marine creature, especially the way it moves its flaps slowly underwater. That is such a calm and beautiful sight to behold. It has become a habit of mine to look out for turtles whenever I go snorkelling and when I spotted one, I would be sure to follow it for some time. Unable to contain my excitement, I hopped back to the styrofoam boxes and asked for permission to hold the turtle eggs.

Oh. my. god. It feels softer than a ping pong ball. I held one of the eggs up against the sunlight and stared at it for a while, hoping to see the outline of the embryo. I cannot fathom how my favourite marine creature begins in this form – so fragile that if additional pressure is exerted, an inner dent will be made. I wondered if that might actually cause the baby turtle to be deformed.

It is exactly this fragility of the turtle eggs that gave rise to the creation of the turtle sanctuary. Turtles are classified as endangered species. One of the reason is due to their eggs being eaten by up monitor lizards. However, it is not just monitor lizards who are eating it. Humans are another source.

After several visits to different islands, villagers expressed that it is a common diet and is a lucrative trade. For each turtle egg, it can be sold at 1000 Indonesian rupiah. (~SGD 0.10) When asked how the eggs are prepared for consumption, one villager shared that simple boiling will suffice. At the thought of this coupled with the affordable price, there were two voices speaking in my head and the conversation goes something as follows:

Devil: “I can’t help but to wonder what will it taste like. Will it taste similar as any other eggs? How would it taste if condiments such as soy sauce were to be added to it? (ps: my personal favourite way of eating a typical chicken egg)”

I was interrupted by my voyage mates expressing how the consumption of it is a cruel act and the image of a sea turtle gently flapping its flippers flashed across my mind.

Then, I heard the angel’s voice. “Nah, forget about eating it if you still want to see turtles the next time you snorkel”.

Okay, so no consumption of turtle eggs on my end. Let’s continue with the story….

By the way, the same exact household which houses the turtle sanctuary DO consume the eggs and take part in the turtle egg trade too. Their rationale for setting up a turtle sanctuary is to prevent them from being eaten by the monitor lizards so that the baby turtles will have a safe environment to be hatched and to be set free when they are deemed to be able to fend for themselves. I started thinking on the issue of ethicality. How ethical is it for the villagers who owns the sanctuary to consume and trade it while protecting them from nature predators? This is a question that I have no conclusion towards.

I was lucky to come across a group of villagers who were on the hunt for turtle eggs on Pulau Panau. I followed them and witness the entire process from searching for turtle tracks to digging the eggs out. The process is documented below.

One of my favourite part of the sailing experience is the daily sharing session during or after dinner with the captain. I think this is a great way for each of us to learn from others’ perspectives, especially for myself and some other voyage mates who do not speak Bahasa Indonesian to learn from others on their conversations with the villagers. The captain expressed strong sentiments towards protecting the turtles and here are some ways he shared we can do to help the turtles:

• ▪ Do not take part in the turtle egg consumption trade
• ▪ Flatten turtle traces on the sand to prevent monitor lizards from finding them if you spot them
• ▪ Spread the word on turtle conservation
• ▪ Release baby turtles at night to reduce the chances of being eaten up by predators

On a separate trip, I went to another part of Borneo: Sabah in East Malaysia. I discovered that turtle egg trade is rampant there and witness it taking place on the streets. There is a secret sign for turtle eggs which takes in the form of an “ok” sign. The brokers will reach out to people and show them the hand signal asking if they want to purchase it. Although turtle egg trade is illegal in Sabah, I am surprised by the boldness of these brokers. As seen below is a poster in Sabah to discourage the purchase of turtle eggs.