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SINGAPORE: For newly hatched hawksbill turtles, life begins as a race few can win.<\/p>\n
Faced with predators and the vast, unforgiving ocean, most hatchlings do not survive beyond their first few months. In some cases, as few as one in 10,000 make it to adulthood.<\/p>\n
But eight juvenile hawksbill turtles in Singapore are getting help to beat those odds.<\/p>\n
They are now under specialist care at the Singapore Oceanarium\u00a0as part of a conservation programme run with the National Parks Board (NParks).<\/p>\n
The aim is to improve their chances of survival before they are released into the wild, possibly next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy getting them to a larger size before releasing them, we can give them a fighting chance, a chance to survive in the wild,\u201d said Mr Tang Yong Jen, an executive in conservation and science at the oceanarium.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not going to negate the other threats that are out there in the open sea, but it\u2019ll give them just a chance \u2026 and hopefully they come back to nest on our beaches in Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n
The turtles are also on public display at the oceanarium to raise awareness about marine conservation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n