{"id":62968,"date":"2026-06-23T02:13:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=62968"},"modified":"2026-06-23T02:13:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:13:47","slug":"critically-endangered-hawksbill-turtle-spotted-in-east-coast-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=62968","title":{"rendered":"Critically endangered hawksbill turtle spotted in East Coast Park"},"content":{"rendered":"


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SINGAPORE – Under the overcast sky on June 22, one of the first sea turtles of Singapore\u2019s 2026 nesting season lumbered ashore in East Coast Park.<\/p>\n

The critically endangered hawksbill turtle<\/span><\/a> was spotted by chance at about 5pm by staff from the National Parks Board (NParks).<\/p>\n

Despite making at least four attempts to nest in the sand, the female appeared to abandon the effort without laying her eggs.<\/p>\n

As the hawksbill turtle headed back to the sea, staff from NParks\u2019 National Biodiversity Centre stepped in to attach unique tags on its flippers.<\/p>\n

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A tag on one of the turtle\u2019s flippers.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) research fellow Lyndsey Tanabe collected a tiny, non-invasive tissue sample from the turtle to sequence its genes.<\/p>\n

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\"NTU<\/picture><\/div>
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NTU research fellow Lyndsey Tanabe collecting a tissue sample from the turtle.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This will help scientists understand the health of sea turtle populations and how they are impacted by climate change, said Tanabe, who had rushed down from Jurong East by taxi to secure the sample.<\/p>\n

The sea turtle biologist also helped remove barnacles encrusted on the turtle\u2019s shell.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat will help the turtle because that\u2019s a sign of a turtle that\u2019s sick or injured, so we are trying to remove them in order to reduce the drag so that this turtle can swim better,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

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\"NTU<\/picture><\/div>
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Tanabe removing barnacles encrusted on the turtle\u2019s shell.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By 6.55pm, the turtle swam into the waters off East Coast Park.<\/p>\n

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The hawksbill turtle returning to the sea on June 22.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The data collected will allow scientists to decode the secret lives of hawksbill turtles \u2013 a species that maintains the health of coral reef ecosystems \u2013 and shape NParks\u2019 conservation efforts here.<\/p>\n

This comes as land reclamation, the illegal wildlife trade and other threats encroach on the nesting grounds of the turtles, which are named after their bird-like beaks.<\/p>\n

The hawksbill turtle is one of two sea turtle species recorded in the Republic. The other \u2013 the green turtle \u2013 has been spotted in local waters but has never been recorded nesting here, unlike in neighbouring Malaysia.<\/p>\n