TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Penghu County's Agriculture and Fisheries Department (農漁局) rescued 59 baby sea turtles from typhoon-damaged nesting sites, achieving a 60% hatch rate from 99 eggs. The rescue operation involved local volunteers and residents working to save hatchlings affected by storm-driven waves. Penghu County, Taiwan's island archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, serves as critical nesting habitat for endangered green turtles.
Storm-driven waves severely damaged local terrain and disrupted critical hatching conditions for the endangered green turtle species. Officials relocated 15 weaker hatchlings to the Wangan Green Turtle Tourism and Conservation Center (望安綠蠵龜館) Tuesday (Oct. 8) for specialized veterinary care and monitoring. Local innkeepers witnessed the baby turtles struggling to emerge from their protective shells, describing the natural hatching process as truly miraculous.
The rescue operation demonstrated unprecedented collaboration between local communities and professional conservation teams across the remote archipelago region. Organizers urgently urged the public to respect strict conservation area regulations and prevent any disturbances to critical turtle breeding sites during nesting season. Despite typically grim survival odds of only one in a thousand for newborn turtles, this community-driven initiative offers genuine renewed hope for green turtle population recovery efforts. ◼
