The Turtle Islands Park, lying some 40 kilometers north of Sandakan and close to the Philippines border, comprises of 3 islands - Selingan, Bakkungan Kecil and Gulisan. It covers an area of 1,749 hectares which includes the surrounding coral reefs and sea. The Park is famous for its green and hawksbill turtles which lay their eggs on the beaches of the islands. Visitors to the Turtle Island Park depart by boat from the Sandakan harbour and the trip takes between 45 minutes and 3 hours, depending on the speed of the boats. Accommodation is on Selingan with fully furnished chalets for up to 20 persons per night.


History of Turtle Conservation in Sabah

Conservation measures were first introduced in 1927 to protect the hawksbill turtle which were being hunted off Kudat for their shells. Closed seasons for turtle hunting were introduced by the then British North Company which proved to be partially successful.

In 1964 the Turtle Conservation Ordinance of 1952 was repealed and the Fauna Conservation 1963 came into force. Under this Act, 8 islands namely: Selingan, Gulisan, Bakkungan Kecil, Tegapil, Lankayan, Billean, Koyan Koyan and Nunu Nunukan were constituted as Turtle Farms giving exclusive rights for turtle eggs collection to successful tenderers.

On 1 August 1966 the first turtle hatchery in Malaysia was set up on Selingan, funded entirely by the State government. In 1971 it acquired Selingan, Bakkungan Kecil and Gulisan.

By 1972 these 3 islands were constituted as Game and Bird Sanctuaries under the Forestry Department. In 1977 the government converted the islands into a Marine Park. Today permanent staff monitor the turtle activities including tagging them.


Pulau Selingan

Almost 8 hectares in size, it is the second largest of the 3 islands. The main laying beach is on the east and southwestern parts of the island.


Pulau Bakkungan Kechil

The largest island and nearest to the Philippines border. Active mud volcanoes are present. The northern and western beaches are favoured by the green turtles.


Pulau Gulisan

Only about 1.6 hectares in area. Turtles lay their eggs on the northern, eastern and southwestern beaches.
 

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) lay their eggs throughout the year with the best months being from July to October when their numbers increase. They normally come ashore after 7.30 p.m. but have also been observed nesting between 5 to 6 in the morning.

The time it takes for the turtle to emerge from the sea until when it conceals its eggs with sand is usually about an hour. It selects and clears its nesting site and using its rear flippers, digs a pit 12 to 18 inches deep. It then lays a clutch of 40 to 190 eggs into the pit and carefully conceals it by covering it with sand before returning to the sea.

During the eggs laying process the eyes of the turtle are covered by a colourless mucus which prevents dehydration and also to deep out from any sand.
 

The eggs are collected by the Park staff and transferred to the hatcheries situated 50 feet away from the high water mark. Each pit is 30 inches deep, fenced around with wire mesh and identitied by a bamboo marker bearing the serial number of the nest, collection date and number of eggs. After an incubation period of between 50 and 60 days, the hatchlings dig their way up to the surface of the pit, usually at night, when the sand is cooler.

The hatchlings are normally released in the early morning or night from various points of the islands. Once in the sea they are exposed to numerous dangers including being eaten by bigger fish as well as birds. Fatalities can also occur when they encounter plastic bags or mistake tiny hardened balls of oil for food.
 

The sea turtle is a reptile which spends all of its life in water. Only the female turtle returns to land to lay its eggs. All sea turtle eat marine animals such as sponges, marine worms and molluscs. Adult green turtle are largely vegetarian, eating underwater grasses and seaweed while the hawksbill turtle is carnivorous and eats invertebrate animals of the coral reefs.

The natural longevity of the sea turtles is unknown. They grow very slowly, taking from 10 to 20 years to reach maturity.
 

Three fully-furnished chalets are available on Selingan for accommodating up to a total of 20 persons per night. There is now a restaurant on Selingan where visitors can order hot meals.
 

Turtle Islands Park is a state park created to protect the natural environment especially the marine turtles, the coral reefs and other marine life. As such there are stringent rules and regulations that are to be observed by every visitor to the Park. Regulations are posted very prominently on the island and visitors are advised to read these notices before proceeding with their individual pursuit.

Observe the rules and regulations of the park.
Keep the place clean during your stay.
Contact Park Rangers on duty for assistance and information.
Visitors are advised to bring their personal towels and toiletries.



It is vorbidden to:

Wander along the beach after dark but wait in the chalets for the Park Ranger to inform them when there is a turtle laying eggs.
Build campfires, shine bright torches on the beach, sing, dance or play music on the beach at night.
Crowd around the turtle but watch her from a distance throughout the nesting process.
Under any circumstances, ride on the turtle, pull her flippers, turn her over, jump on her or injure her physically. Such acts of abuse may have adverse effects on future nesting returns.
 

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