Under a moonlit sky close to midnight on August 13, 2022, the soft whispers of waves greeted a nesting marine turtle. She is a green turtle, one listed as “endangered” by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Pok Jamil, one of our dedicated local turtle guardians, watched as she emerged from the sea, dragging her heavy shell onto the sands of Telaga Papan Beach in Setiu, Terengganu.

Her turtle tag reads “MY(TGG)1030” — MY for Malaysia, TGG for Terengganu, and 1030 her unique identification code. But for this story, we’ll call her Melur. She was born on this very beach and has now returned to give birth to the next generation. With great care, she dug a nest and laid 70 precious eggs — each one a fragile promise of new life. Due to the stringent monitoring efforts of our turtle guardians, every single egg was protected and brought back to the hatchery, giving them the best chance to hatch safely. In time, 66 out of 70 turtle eggs hatched —  a remarkable 94% hatch success rate. Melur’s tiny hatchlings emerged, scurrying on the sandy beach, guided by the horizon and waves, embarking on their perilous journey into the deep ocean.
 

Photo 1: A nesting Green marine turtle (Chelonia mydas). Red light is used to ensure minimal disturbance and no harm to marine turtles. © Aida Roslan / WWF-Malaysia.

Unbeknown to Pok Jamil, Melur had been here almost exactly four years earlier. August 2, 2018, she had nested on this very same beach, laying 68 eggs. Of those, 61 hatchlings had made it to the sea. Safe to say Melur is a resilient and devoted mother turtle, but her return is not always guaranteed.

 

The Perilous Path of a Mother Turtle

Melur's nesting activities are testaments to the resilience of marine turtles, but also a reminder of the immense threats they face. Turtle poaching, egg harvesting, and unsustainable coastal development continue to endanger these ancient mariners. Poachers seek turtle eggs for sale and consumption, disrupting an already fragile life cycle. Without protection, countless eggs would be lost, diminishing the number of turtles that might one day return to nest.

This is why nesting monitoring is crucial. By safeguarding nests, we prevent poaching and give hatchlings the highest chance of survival. Climate change also poses a growing threat — rising sand temperatures can skew the sex ratio of hatchlings, leading to fewer males and making it harder for marine turtles to breed in the future. To counter this, we monitor our hatchery’s temperature to facilitate a balanced development for future marine turtle populations.
 

Photo 2: Green turtle eggs secured for incubation in Telaga Papan, Setiu with turtle guardians. © Mazidi Ghani / WWF-Malaysia.

 
The Importance of Turtle Tagging
 

Marine turtles like Melur are highly migratory, often traveling thousands of kilometers across oceans. By tagging nesting mothers, we gain critical insight into their lives. These records help conservationists track their return journeys and, in the unfortunate event of poaching or accidental capture in foreign waters, it helps identify affected populations.

Melur’s return to Telaga Papan is not just a personal journey — it is a beacon of hope. Yet, can she and her future generations continue to find sanctuary on their nesting beach?
 

Photo 3: A turtle tag shows the country, state, and unique identification code. © Nur Aliah Amira Affandi / WWF-Malaysia.



The Future of Our Nesting Turtles
 

Coastal erosion, spurred by climate change and human activity, threatens nesting beaches like Telaga Papan. Development along coastlines, pollution, and unsustainable tourism further disrupt nesting activities. Plastic pollution poses an additional silent killer — entangling new born turtles or disrupting turtle nesting.

WWF-Malaysia, alongside the Department of Fisheries Terengganu, and our dedicated turtle guardians like Pok Jamil, are working tirelessly to combat these threats. Through nesting monitoring, coastal rehabilitation efforts such as planting native vegetation for shading, beach profiling to monitor erosion, and advocating for stronger habitat protections — we strive to ensure that nesting beaches remain safe havens for generations of turtles to come.

 

Photo 4: A Green turtle hatchling traveling towards the ocean. © Aida Roslan / WWF-Malaysia.



A Mother Turtle’s Legacy and Our Role
 

A mother turtle lays countless eggs in her lifetime, yet only one in a thousand hatchlings will survive to adulthood and return to nest. Each egg, each hatchling, and each nesting mother is precious.
 

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, let us remember the odyssey of turtle mothers, like Melur, who against all odds, return to continue the cycle of life. But they cannot do it alone. We must stand as their guardians.
 

Here’s how you can help:

Melur has nested twice between 2018 and 2022. Perhaps in 2026 or 2027, she will return once more. With the unwavering efforts of turtle guardians and your support, we can continue to welcome and protect these remarkable mothers.

As we honour mothers everywhere, let’s also safeguard our mother turtles. Together, we can nurture a future where marine turtles continue to thrive alongside humankind, just as generations of mothers have before us.
 

Photo 5: Green marine turtle (Chelonia mydas). © Chris Tan/ WWF-Malaysia.


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About WWF-Malaysia

World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) was established in 1972 and is part of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the international conservation organisation. Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature, WWF-Malaysia’s efforts to conserve nature focus on six major themes: forests, oceans, wildlife, food, climate and energy, as well as freshwater. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Find our latest news here: 
https://www.wwf.org.my/media_and_information/media_centre_and_updates/