During this short new year vacation I got a marvellous opportunity to visit Kosgoda Sea Turtle Sanctuary and the Research Centre with my family and two of my friends Swetha and Ishani. It was the first time I have ever visited such a beautiful place. First of all we met the owner Mr. Chandrasiri Abbrew.

He has been running this for the last thirty years. He is doing an excellent and interesting job. He collects all the turtle eggs and buries them in the sand like turtles do and leaves them to hatch.

Eggs buried in open area

Three-day old baby turtles

When the babies come out, within a period of three days, he releases the babies to the sea. After three days you have to feed the babies. Because of this problem he keeps the baby turtles only for three days in his tanks. During the period of thirty years he had saved and released about three million babies to the sea.

He says there are five different varieties coming to lay eggs to the southern coastal areas. They are Green Turtle, Leather Backs, Hawks Wheels, Olive Ridleys and Logger Heads. They take to hatch between forty eight days to sixty two days. It depends on the variety. Green Turtles take forty two days. Leather Backs take sixty two days, Olive Ridleys fifty two to fifty four days, while the Logger Heads take fifty two to fifty three days.

Usually they lay eggs, hatch and release to the sea in the evening. If somebody kills a Sea Turtle in the sea shore not a single turtle comes to lay eggs during a period of a year. He says that they get the smell of the blood, so they hesitate to come to that sea shore.

During the tsunami disaster this wonderful man had the ability to save the whole village but he was unable to save his turtle farm. There is a huge turtle who has lost its hands from this tsunami
disaster but is still living peacefully in Mr. Chandrasiri's turtle farm. There is a turtle blind from its birth, who is swimming freely in the tank with another that had lost a hand.

The most impressive turtle is Tania the pet turtle. They are very tame so that everybody can touch them.
We saw two varieties, the age of three days. One was very lazy and always sleeping while the
others were very active.

Mr.Chandrasiri said a gigantic turtle came to the shore the previous night and laid 154 eggs. His ambition is to start a hospital for turtles and a research school for the whole world. We also
contributed towards this and I wish him all the success.

Kid Reporter Gimhani and friends with owner Mr. Chandrasiri with pet turtle

Tania the pet turtle

Turtle lost two hands during tsunami