Philippine turtle crosses the ocean to lay eggs in Con Dao

At 10:30 p.m. on May 22, a mature green sea turtle, tagged with code PH6854 (Philippines), came ashore at Bai Cat Lon on Bay Canh Islet, part of Con Dao National Park, to lay her eggs. Immediately after completing the nesting process, this mother turtle was fitted with an additional tag, CD4699, by Vietnamese conservation staff, officially becoming a "dual-national" sea turtle.

The mother turtle is an impressive specimen, measuring 93 cm in shell length, 84 cm in width, and weighing approximately 90 - 100 kg. With the support of the staff at Con Dao National Park, she successfully laid 84 eggs safely in a sand nest.

According to Mr. Nguyen Khac Pho, Director of the Con Dao National Park Management Board, if all goes well, by around July, the hatchlings, bearing international heritage, will emerge and begin their journey into the ocean from the shores of Con Dao. The event of a Philippine-tagged turtle nesting in Vietnam is also a strong testament to the ecological connectivity of marine environments across Southeast Asia.

“The fact that a turtle previously tagged in another country has returned to nest in Con Dao shows that this area is a crucial link in the migratory and reproductive pathways of sea turtles. This is a species increasingly threatened by climate change, illegal fishing, and ocean pollution,” Mr. Pho said.

Back in 2024, a green sea turtle from Malaysia also traveled thousands of nautical miles to Bay Canh Islet to lay 108 eggs. This turtle weighed between 90 and 100 kg and was estimated to be around 40 years old. All of the hatchlings were safely released into the ocean after successful incubation. Similarly, in 2018, a tagged mother turtle from Indonesia came to Con Dao to lay over 100 eggs.

According to Mr. Le Hong Son, Head of the Conservation and Scientific Research Department of Con Dao National Park, from the beginning of the year until May 10, 2025, the park's expert team successfully rescued and relocated 203 turtle nests, containing a total of 19,352 eggs.

"Among them, 97 nests have already hatched, and 5,832 hatchlings have been released back to the sea under strict monitoring protocols. Additionally, 35 mother turtles have been tagged to track their reproductive journeys. This is an essential part of our conservation research," Mr. Son noted.

Each year, Con Dao National Park welcomes around 2,000 mother turtles to its shores to nest. Bay Canh Islet has long been referred to as the largest “maternity ward” for sea turtles in Vietnam, thanks to its high level of biological safety and a rich marine ecosystem that remains relatively untouched by human activities.

Con Dao is recognized as the only place in Vietnam that has operated a systematic sea turtle conservation program since 1990. The initiative is a collaborative effort involving forest rangers, scientists, and international organizations. Core activities include monitoring nesting beaches, rescuing eggs, artificial incubation, releasing hatchlings, tagging turtles for identification, and raising public awareness. Between 1993 and 2022, over 2.4 million baby turtles were released into the ocean from Con Dao.

“Welcoming turtles from other countries is not only a positive sign for conservation but also a boost to regional cooperation in protecting marine wildlife. We hope that Con Dao will continue to be a safe haven for mother turtles, no matter which part of the ocean they come from,” said the Director of the Con Dao National Park Management Board.

In the context of climate change and increasingly severe human impacts on marine life, this dual-nationality turtle (regarded as international mothers) serve as vivid evidence of the deep connection between nature and humanity, where quiet conservation efforts are rewarded with new life and renewed hope sprouting from the sandy shores of Con Dao.

Such stories remind us that marine conservation is not confined by borders. Their return to protected beaches in protected beaches is a testament to the effectiveness of sustained conservation initiatives and international collaboration.