Singapore’s first recorded turtle hatchlings for 2025 released off Sisters’ Islands

SINGAPORE – Hatchlings from the first recorded hawksbill turtle nest of 2025 in Singapore took their earliest dip in the sea off Sisters’ Islands on the morning of July 25.

Announcing their release, Minister of State for National Development Alvin Tan said on Facebook that the clutch of 123 eggs, belonging to the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, was uncovered by the National Parks Board (NParks) at East Coast Park in early June.

The location meant that the odds of survival would have been slim, said Mr Tan, as turtle eggs take about two months to hatch, during which they would have been threatened by high human traffic and predators, and risked being inundated by high tides.

To protect the turtles, the eggs were retrieved by NParks staff and moved to the Sisters’ Islands Marine Park turtle hatchery, another popular nesting spot for marine turtles.

Of these, 76 babies set off on their journey to adulthood on July 25 after NParks measured them for research purposes.

Hawksbill turtles, named for their powerful beak-like mouth, typically visit Singapore’s shores between May and October to lay their eggs.

Emerging from the nest is just the start of a hatchling’s test of endurance, as hatchlings grapple with many challenges on their journey to the sea, including predators like shorebirds, and the risk of disorientation caused by artificial light sources.

They then face other risks in the open sea, such as accidental entanglement with rubbish and illegal poachers.

Acknowledging the difficulties, Mr Tan said the chance of these hatchlings surviving to adulthood is less than 0.1 per cent, but he hopes that they will return one day.

Hawksbill turtles take roughly two decades to mature, and only females return to nest on beaches near where they hatched.

While collaborative work to help Singapore’s sea turtles has been ongoing for nearly two decades, NParks initiated a programme in 2016 to conserve the two native turtle species, both of which are at high risk of extinction.

The other species, the green turtle, is endangered and much less encountered.

Dr Karenne Tun, group director of the National Biodiversity Centre, told The Straits Times that NParks has recorded about 170 hawksbill turtle sightings in Singapore between 2020 and June 2025. They include nests and turtle tracks.

There were only 66 turtle sightings from 2005 to 2016, the year its programme was launched.

As part of the programme, NParks conducts biodiversity beach patrols during nesting season at dawn between 5am and 7am to look for nesting turtles, laid nests and hatchlings.

Dr Tun advises members of the public who encounter a nesting turtle on the beach to keep their distance from the turtle and the eggs.

This is because touching a turtle can scare or provoke it, and handling the eggs may result in damage or introduction of bacteria into the nest.

Instead, members of the public can contact the NParks helpline on 1800-471-7300 to report their sighting.

Dr Tun said: “They should talk softly and stay out of sight, and not shine lights at the turtle or use flash photography.

“Light and noise may scare the turtle and cause it to leave without laying any eggs.”

The public should also keep clear of tracks left by the turtles, as researchers use the tracks to identify the species of turtle and to locate nests.

Those who are interested in participating in NParks’ efforts to monitor sea turtle populations in Singapore can join NParks’ Biodiversity Beach Patrol through

its website

.