Turtle Patrol
By The Pearl Protectors
Sri Lanka witnesses 5 of 7 sea turtle species coming ashore to nest. Sea turtles are genetically adapted to return to the same shorelines of birth to lay eggs. All sea turtles being considered threatened at sea, faces larger perils when returning to nest. Major challenges include turtles being poached for meat and shell, eggs stolen for consumption and tourist sales and plastic/ light pollution.
Shorelines surrounding Colombo are some of the few urban locations in the world where turtles have considered as nesting grounds.
Volunteers of The Pearl Protectors intend to patrol the beaches of Dehiwala, Mount Lavinia to provide security and safety for turtles coming ashore to lay eggs.
During the 90-day patrolling, volunteer teams will patrol beaches during the night and early morning hours in order to identify nesting sites, provide protection from poachers and support in ex-situ conservation in secure locations
Volunteers will be trained and equipped with all necessary resources to conduct the turtle patrolling.
The Pearl Protectors are conducting Turtle Patrol for the fifth consecutive year where during the previous years has seen significant conservation impact for the turtles.
During the 1st Turtle Patrol in 2022, Patrollers were able to conserve and protect 7 turtle nesting sites in a span of 3km during a week
The 2nd Turtle Patrol in 2023, 3 patrolling zones in Dehiwala North, Dehiwala South and Mount Lavinia saw 60 volunteers coming to patrol 60 days and protecting 72 turtle nesting sites which accounted for 7944 turtle eggs being ex-situ conserved. Volunteers patrolled from 10pm to 2.30am with 20 volunteer teams dedicated for each day of the week.
The 3rd Turtle Patrol in 2024, 4 patrolling zones in Dehiwala North, Dehiwala South, Wellawatta and Mount Lavinia saw 130 passionate volunteers coming to patrol 90 days and protecting 130 turtle nesting sites which accounted for 14204 turtle eggs being ex-situ conserved. Volunteers patrolled from 10pm to 2.30am with 27 volunteer teams dedicated for each day of the week.
During the 4th year of Turtle Patrolling in 2025, 3 patrolling zones in Dehiwala North, Dehiwala South, and Mount Lavinia saw 200 passionate volunteers coming to patrol 90 days and protecting 202 turtle nesting sites which accounted for 21389 turtle eggs being ex-situ conserved. This was a 50% increase in conservation compared to 2024.
