We had our visit two nights book to stay in Mount Latvinia, 20mins south of Colomobo, so why not while we are here visit the Turtle Consevation Centre which was 200m from our hotel on the golden sand of Mount Latvinia beach.
The centre, which is just a few huts of the beach, is home to all 5 species of turtle which Sri Lanka plays host too; green turtle, hawksbill, black turtle, leatherback and Oliver Ridley turtle. Examples of the species were held in the various tanks, some waiting to be released back into the sea, some not old enough yet and others to badly damaged to be released.
The centre was established 10years ago due to threats posed to turtles from habitat destruction, hunting for meat and eggs and entanglement in fishing gear. As well as the various tanks the centre also had a hatchery with over 2000 eggs which have been collected from the beach in order to protect them and ensure safe release. The day before we arrived some eggs had hatched, we were lucky enough to see over 100 goofball sized one day old babies.
The centre does some great work in protecting turtles but relies heavily on donations from tourists. More investment from the government is needed to take to conservation effort higher. You can't help feeling the focus of the centre is to attach more tourists. The information available was faded and outdated. Nevertheless that said they are still doing a great job in helping protect the turtles.
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