Pupils enjoy turtle camp

Date: 5 April 2008
Source: The New Straits Times

SETIU: The children gathered excitedly around the table, admiring the marine life figures made out of plasticine. Most of them were turtles — a turtle laying eggs, a turtle swimming in the sea and a hatchling crawling out of its egg.

The Year Five and Six pupils from Sekolah Kebangsaan Penarik were taking part in the first Turtle and Terrapin Camp organised by the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) Turtle and Rehabilitation Group. Pupils from three other schools, SK Mangkuk, SK Pulau Perhentian and SK Redang, also took part in the camp from March 17 till yesterday.

The camp leader, UMT student Chen Pelf Nyok, said the schools were selected because they were located in fishing communities.

About 245 pupils took part in the camp which was sponsored by Way Out Experiences, a non-governmental organisation that outsources volunteers for turtle conservation projects.

Eleven-year-old Amir Firdaus from Kampung Saujana said people should stop eating turtle eggs and had pledged not to touch them. Siti Nuraida Sofia Suzi, 12, from Kampung Bukit Chalok, said she enjoyed the camp and now appreciates turtles and terrapins even more. “I learned that their numbers were dwindling, so please do not kill them,” she said.