Attractions

Having an estimated lifespan of about 80 years (approx.), sea turtles are listed as endangered, either critically endangered animal species in the world. Out of the seven varieties of turtles have been recorded so far, five species out of them could be found in the specific coastal areas of Sri Lanka. They are the Green Turtle, the Leatherback, the Hawksbill, the Loggerhead and the Olive Ridley.

Turtles do not have many natural predators once they are grown as adults. But the turtle eggs and baby turtles are extremely vulnerable as they become a good food source for many predators in nature. During the natural process, the eggs would hatch within about 60 days and the tiny baby turtles proceed their way directly to the ocean. While they make their first move in life towards the sea, most of the baby turtles become the victims of predators such as birds, crabs etc. The bitter part of the story is the threat caused to these rare and fascinating creatures by humans. The turtle eggs are often being robbed from the nests by the people living in the coastal areas where they sell the eggs to the black market.

Hence, the main objective of the turtle hatchery in Kosgoda is to protect the turtle eggs while assuring the maximum rates of hatching. Once the eggs are hatched, the baby turtles are safely released to the sea where they could adopt to their natural habitat. It is an interesting task to patrol the beach at night where mother turtles visit and lay eggs.  The staff at the hatchery patiently waits for the mother turtle to return safely to the see and collect the eggs to relocate in the hatchery. In addition to relocating the eggs like this, the hatchery pay the fishermen in the area and buy the turtle eggs from them in order to avoid the destruction of eggs as human food.

Turtle Hatchery at Kosgoda is 3 km away from Villa 386